Welcome to the PokéCommunity!

Hi there! Thanks for visiting PokéCommunity. We’re a group of Pokémon fans dedicated to providing the best place on the Internet for discussing ideas and sharing fan-made content. Welcome! We’re glad you’re here.

In order to join our community we need you to create an account with us. Doing so will allow you to make posts, submit and view fan art and fan fiction, download fan-made games, and much more. It’s quick and easy; just click here and follow the instructions.

PGM is all set for February. This month, we're playing through a game known as Eevee's Tile Trial. If you wish to earn rewards, please head over to our event thread by clicking on the provided link and give yourself a shot at the game!

Hey Unregistered! How fast can you game? The Marathon II is up and running in Video Game's - compete against your friends to see how quickly you can complete sixty intense in-game challenges. See you there!

"Hello one and all. I'm destinedjagold, and I am the author of this fanfic.
Anyway, the reason why I decided to write my very own fanfic is that I kept on having dreams about being a POKéMON, and those dreams seemed like episodes of a series, and so, instead of keeping it to myself, I decided to arrange those dreams and write it into a fanfic.
And so, yeah, here it is."

----------

About The Fanfic...

"The story is about a human who suddenly turned into an Eevee.
The human was from a world where POKéMON only existed in games and television screens, but now he is in the world of POKéMON.
His mission is to get back to his world, but will he?"

"The fanfic will also be in a script-style form, but I promise to have a nice narration... But please bear in mind that English is my second language, so expect wrong grammars, tense errors and other things here and there, and I would appreciate corrections. Thanks~"

"Also, I will be adding some images of the story, but bear in mind that I am really really POOR in drawing. =/ "

----------

Warnings...

"This fanfic, for me, will be rated T(teen), for the story will contain sweaing/cursing (although not much) and violence.
And for me, I think this fanfic are only for teens 14+ of age, I suppose..."

Lightning flashed through the dark clouds. The chilly winds were starting to get stronger. Soon, the heavy rain will shower on the land of Ttala.

A herd of Eevees were fighting through the strong, chilly winds as they slowly march their way through the Forest of Beedrills. Leading them is their chief, Grievald, an Espeon. This year, his herd had grown to 27 in number, including many youngsters, and he knew it will be difficult to get them to their new home after they lost their territory to the violent Tauroses. He suffers a broken knee on his left front leg, but he stayed strong to lead his herd.

Minutes later and the heavens finally showered the land. They knew that the forest will soon become misty, and this will challenge everyone. Grievald asked everyone to bite the tail of the one in front of them, so no one will get lost. Soon, they exited the forest safely. They were close to their destination. The only thing they needed to cross now was a bridge made out of a very thick and tall tree that connects two ends of each cliff. He knew it'll be dangerous, but after they lost their home, the herd all agreed to go back to where Grievald used to live. He went ahead and soon, he arrived at the other end. Using his psychic powers, he will guide the others and make sure they won't fall off the bridge. Still biting the other's tail, the herd slowly crossed the bridge in a single line, guided by their chief. Suddenly, the bridge was struck by lightning, and the old tree collapsed. Panic, the Eevees cried for help. Grievald quickly used his psychic power to save everyone, even though he knew it'll push him to his limits. Slowly, he moved them to the land and not long, everyone had made it through, that is, until a youngster noticed something, and asked everyone a question that they didn't hope to hear...

"Krystal? Is Krystal here!? Krystal!?"

But the young Eevee didn't receive an answer. They concluded that she must have fell, and their chief failed to save her, but they didn't blame him for he did his best for his herd. They had no choice but to move on. The young Eevee, feeling a great loss, had no choice but to accept her gone...

---oOo---

Chapter 1Reuniting

The land of Kinah welcomed a beautiful sunrise. The POKéMON has slowly awakened after the rays' soft kiss. In the Green Pasture, a herd of Mareep has started greeting each other. Soon however, they noticed a group of Eevees approaching them. Their chief, an Ampharos, asked his herd to stay calm. An Espeon was leading the herd, who seemed to be suffering from a broken front foot. This alone gave Ampharos the thought that they must have been forced to leave their home somewhere, and now they're looking for a place to call home. The Espeon asked his herd to stop and rest for a while as he was approached by the Ampharos who seemed to be showing signs that they're friendly.

Ampharos: "Greetings. We welcome you and your herd to Green Pasture. I am Reiharn."

Espeon: "Grievald, and nice to meet you. We mean no harm to you."

Reiharn: "If you're looking for a place you can claim, we can share our territory with you."

Grievald: "Thank you, but we are heading to the foot of Mount Ice."

Reiharn: "Mount Ice? It's not far from here. You are injured, my friend. Let me help you get there."

Grievald: "I am fine, thank you. We just needed a little break, and afterwards, we'll be on our way."

Meanwhile, three young Eevees grouped together and seemed to be having a meeting.

Eevee 1: "Hey guys, maybe after we get to our new home, we could go and look for Krystal..."

Eevee 2: "The three of us and Krystal have been best buds ever since. I am also worried about her, but wouldn't it be dangerous?"

Eevee 3: "I agree with Steven... We barely know this place..."

Eevee 1: "If the three of us go together, it'll be no problem!"

Steven: "But Mark..."

Mark: "C'mon you two! This is for Krystal!"

Steven: "Well... What do you think, Rose?"

Rose: "Sigh... I guess... But we need to ask---"

Mark: "No one else should know about this..."

Rose: "Are you stupid or something?"

Steven: "Mark... We don't want everyone to worry about us."

Mark: "Fine... Fine... I'll ask the chief that we'll go and look for her later..."

Meanwhile, at the foot of two cliffs, an Eevee just regained her consciousness. She looked up and she couldn't believe how far she fell, plus, she survived. Suddenly, her whole body started to ache painfully. She cried for help, but it seemed that there aren't any other POKéMON in the area. She crawled towards a stream to drink, hoping that it could at least ease a bit of her pain. After, she decided to stay down for a while to rest her aching body, but as the minutes go by, she looked around as far as her eyes can see, and she started to feel scared. She found herself in a cold, quiet and gloomy place. She then started to cry silently.

At the foot of Mount Ice, the Eevees has finally started settling into their new home. Soon after, the three young Eevees went to see their chief and asked for his permission, unfortunately and as expected, he didn't agree.

Grievald: "There is no way she survives such a fall."

Mark: "Don't say that! We don't know for sure..."

Elderly Eevee: "Children... Calm yourselves. We understand---"

Mark: "No, you don't understand!"

Rose: "Mark..."

Mark: "Krystal's our friend and we can't sit still until we see her!"

And Mark heads off to go and look for his friend. His two friends called out his name but Mark ignored it and moves on. Grievald sighed and asked Steven and Rose to go with him to make sure he won't be in trouble. The two then hurries to catch up with their friend. The elder asked the chief why he lets them go, but Grievald didn't say a word.

After recovering a bit, Krystal walked away from where she fell and now she reached a beach. She sat on the sand to feel the ocean breeze. Later, she started to look around, trying to find a path so she can try and return to the herd, but instead, she found an unconscious Eevee. Shocked, she tried to approach the POKéMON as fast as she could, and when she finally reached the Eevee, she puts her nose on the unconscious POKéMON's neck and sniffs its scent, but she doesn't recognize the scent. The only thing she knew is that the Eevee was a he. She then tries to wake him up, which she did a few seconds after.

Eevee: "Ugh... Uff... Huh? An Eevee?"

Krystal: "Um... Hello..."

The male Eevee was shocked after hearing Krystal's voice.

Eevee: "Oh my god, you just talked! That's not possible...!"

Krystal: "Um... What...? What are yo---"

Eevee: "No! This can't be real! You're talking!? Hahahahahahah! This must be a dream...! A POKéMON just started talking to me...!"

Krystal: "I... I'm confused... What kind of an Eevee are you?"

Eevee: "Eevee? Me? Oh, no-no-no-no-no! I'm a huma---"

He paused for a moment as he stared at his paws, and after realizing that he had paws of an Eevee, his smile quickly turned up-side-down. He looked back and saw his brown fury back and a fluffy tail. He shouted in disbelief. He turned into a POKéMON, or so he claims.

Krystal: "Hey-hey-hey...! Calm down, please, calm down..."

Eevee: "Calm down? I've turned into a POKéMON! How the heck can I calm down!?"

Krystal took a step towards him to try and help out but her foot is hurting her, and she showed signs that it was painful. He noticed her expression and asked her what happened.

Eevee: "You're... You're hurt? What happened?"

Krystal: "Oh, no, it's... it's nothing."

Eevee: "Hey, c'mon now. You're hurt and I just can't ignore that."

He went near her and told her to get on his back so he can carry her. She blushed and declined his offer. He asked if she would rather walk in pain, and after she gave it some thought, she laid on his back. He managed to stand up and started to walk.

Eevee: "Hey, uh... Where to?"

Krystal: "I don't really know... I got separated from the herd..."

Eevee: "Herd, huh? Well, I think it's easy to spot a group of Eevees."

Krystal: "I guess..."

Eevee: "But uh... Any idea where to start looking?"

Krystal gazes at the forest and spots a tall mountain. She recalls that they were going to the foot of a mountain.

Krystal: "I think... There. At the foot of that mountain."

Eevee: "Eh? Kinda far... But okay then... I'm sure we can meet some hum---er---POKéMON along the way..."

And he headed towards the mountain through the forest. Along the way, he asked for directions from the POKéMON they meet: a Pidgey, a Metapod, a Sunflora, and many forest-dwelling POKéMON. After a few minutes, they could no longer see any other POKéMON in the forest, so to break the silence, Krystal decided to ask him a question.

Joseph: "Of course...! I was human... It's just that... I don't remember why I turned into an Eevee..."

Krystal: "I find that hard to believe... I'm sorry..."

Joseph: "I know... I know... I could have wined all day..."

Krystal: "Well... Do you remember being a human?"

Joseph: "Of course I do. But uh... I don't think you'll understand the way humans do with their lives, anyway..."

Krystal: "I'm interested..."

Joseph: "Fine... Just to kill the time..."

And he tells her about his life.
Joseph was a son of a poor family in a poor fishing village. He loves his mom and dad, and they live happily. Everyday, they fish for food. He also told her that POKéMON only existed in games, television screens and imaginations of humans. He loves POKéMON and was able to play the games through his rich cousin, who was the reason he became addicted to POKéMON. He even joked that he loves Eevees so much that he often dreams to be one, and now, his dream came true. He laughed for a moment.

Joseph: "Oh yeah, about that... Hey Krystal... What do you want to be when you evolve?"

Krystal: "Huh? Well, I... I haven't really thought about it..."

Joseph: "Really? Well, for me, I wanna be a Flareon!"

Krystal: "A Flareon?"

Joseph: "Yep. Flareon is a really cool Eeveelution. It's also cute and beautiful and magnificent!"

Krystal blushed after hearing it, for she recalled a day where she and her three friends were also talking about what they wanted to be, and she said she wanted to be a Flareon, but her three friends didn't like being a Flareon.
Joseph continued his story, that one day, his dad received a letter saying that there's a great job opportunity in a far-away city, and he was referred by a friend of his. His dad was so happy and finally, then can live a more beautiful life. At first, Joseph and his mom didn't like it, for it would mean that he will be too busy that he can maybe no longer go back home, but eventually, after a husband and wife conversation, his mom agreed.
Unfortunately, a few months after he was hired, they received news that his dad died in an accident where he was working. That crushed their hearts.
Years had gone and pass, but he still can't accept that his dad is gone. One day, after earning enough money to go to where his dad was working, he sneeked out from their house and took a public bus to the city. Unfortunately, that was the last thing he could remember, and after, he woke up and found himself being waked by Krystal.

Krystal: "I'm so sorry to hear that."

Joseph: "Don't be."

Krystal: "So... After you help me get back to the herd, what will you be doing next?"

Joseph: "After...? Well, I'll start to learn on how to get myself back to my human self, I guess..."

Krystal: "I see..."

Joseph: "Damn... We've been walking through this forest for a while now... Oh, hey, there's someone there..."

Meanwhile, Mark and the others managed to get to the beach where Joseph and Krystal were. Steven noticed something on the ground and exclaimed that it was their friend's footprints. They then investigated.

Mark: "There are too many footprints..."

Steven: "Maybe Krystal wasn't alone? Maybe someone helped her?"

Rose: "Or worse... Maybe someone took her... See here? Only one set of footprints are here, heading to the forest."

Mark was surprised that Rose could say such a thing. Steven ignored them arguing to each other and started to sniff the other set of footprints.

Steven: "The other footprints belong to another Eevee. Mark is probably right that someone helped her."

Mark: "See?"

Rose: "Whatever... Let's just go and follow the trail."

Rose then followed the trail. Mark got annoyed about her not accepting that she's wrong, but Steven convinced him to set it aside and follow Rose.
Meanwhile, a rogue Beedrill attacked Joseph and Krystal. Joseph was thrown towards a tree, and before he landed on the ground, the Beedrill quickly flew towards him and with his sharp right arm, he stabbed Joseph's left shoulder. He shouted in pain, and Krystal cried for not being able to help. Joseph couldn't believe that the world of POKéMON could be brutal. His left shoulder started to shed some blood, while still being stabbed by the Beedrill.

Beedrill: "Nye-heheheheh... Now what does two little Eevees doing in a place like this...? Hm...?"

The only words Joseph has on his mind right now is the set of words that he swore never to use, unless necessary...

Joseph: "F--- you..."

Beedrill: "My, my... Such strong words from a puny POKéMON. I haven't had a fresh Eevee in a while. Just thinking about it makes me shiver...! Nyahahahahah!"

While the Beedrill was laughing, Joseph saw Krystal preparing a Shadow Ball attack. Despite her injured body, she's trying her best to form a powerful Shadow Ball. Unfortunately, the Beedrill already knew what she was doing through its antenna, and just as she released it, Beedrill just easily slashed it with its free left arm.

Beedrill: "Such a weak attack. If I were you, I would stay still and wait for me to eat you, my dear. Nye-heheheheh..."

And afterwards, he shifts his attention to Joseph.

Beedrill: "Ahh... Your blood is running through my arm... What a waste, I should probably lick it, huh?

This gave Joseph a plan. Beedrill slowly sucked the blood on his arm, and slowly working his way to Joseph's shoulder, but as soon as he got the chance, Joseph bit his left antenna like he never bit before in his life. Beedrill shouted so loud in pain, and is trying to get rid of him biting his antenna as he's buzzing around the area, bumping on tree to tree. Krystal just watched for she can do nothing.

Beedrill: "Get off of me! Get off get off get off get OFF! WAAAAAHHHHH!!!"

Joseph was thrown and landed near the helpless Eevee, and the Beedrill, out of exhaustion, became unconscious and dropped himself to the ground. Joseph spits the torned antenna away and slowly tried to get back on his feet as he stared at the Beedrill.

Krystal: "Joseph, are you alright?"

Joseph: "I've been stabbed... How the hell can I be alright?"

Krystal: "...I'm... sorry..."

Joseph: "No, don't be... I apologize.., but anyway..."

Joseph squirms under Krystal so he can carry her on his back, but he's having a hard time getting back on his feet because of the wound he got. After he successfully got back on his feet, his sight became hazy for some reason. He shook his head and it somehow fixed the problem. Krystal noticed this and wondered.

Joseph: "...let's hurry and get outta here..."

But as soon as he finished what he said, his sight became blurry for a moment. Suddenly, he realized that he was stabbed by a Beedrill, which gave him the thought that he must have been poisoned. To make matters worse, the Beedrill is slowly getting up.

Joseph: "Sh--..."

Beedrill: "I'm not through with you, yet...!"

Joseph is starting to get weak and his sight is starting to blur.

Joseph: "Damn it..."

Beedrill: "I was planning to enjoy myself and eat you slowly, but now..."

The Beedrill points his sharp left arm at them and continues...

Beedrill: "...you're dead!"

The Beedrill flew towards them to strike, but before he could land an attack, a Shadow Ball hit him and threw him back, but still on the air. Three other Eevees came to the rescue.

Krystal: "Mark! Steven! Rose!"

Rose: "Reunion later, Krystal."

Joseph: "Friends of yours?"

Krystal: "Yes. Thanks, you guys..!"

Joseph then slowly puts Krystal on the ground, and after, he lied down on the ground and seemed to be having a hard time breathing. Krystal is starting to worry.

Mark and Rose went on different directions, but the Beedrill still flew straight towards Mark, but his attack was easily avoided by the Eevee. Steven threw a Shadow Ball attack and it hit the Beedrill successfully while Mark gives himself a little distance away from the Beedrill and charges a Shadow Ball. Rose then threw a Shadow Ball, but the Beedrill flew high to avoid the attack, but then Mark threw a Shadow Ball and hit the Beedrill hard, making him fall to the ground.

Krystal: "Mark!"

Mark: "Not now, Krystal!"

Krystal: "It's urgent! I need a Pecha Berry here!"

The three POKéMON looked at her and noticed the other Eevee's slowly loosing consciousness. Unfortunately, the Beedrill is once again slowly standing up.

After he got the Beedrill's attention, Mark quickly threw a Shadow Ball at him, but the Beedrill just slashed it and flew towards Mark. Meanwhile, Rose and Steven are searching for a Pecha Berry. Soon, Steven found one hanging on a tree. After using Iron Tail on the tree, the berry fell off and he quickly caught it and ran towards Krystal. He left the berry with Krystal and then called Rose to help Mark. Krystal quickly tried her best to stand and approached Joseph and telling him to eat the berry as she puts it near his mouth while holding it with her mouth. He could no longer open his eyes, but he knew that it was a Pecha Berry, and so he tried his best to take a bite. Krystal was relieved after seeing Joseph taking a few bites, but then she suddenly heard something slammed on the ground, which made her look at what was happening. Mark was the one who got slammed to the ground, and soon she witnessed Steven and Rose beaten up. The Beedrill is still hovering on the air and preparing a lethal strike on Mark.

Beedrill: "I never had this much fun in a long while...! Too bad it lasted!"

Krystal: "Mark! Watch out!"

Mark: "I... can't... move..."

Beedrill: "My stingers can't just poison... It can paralyze as well..."

Mark: "W-what?"

Beedrill: "An outlaw such as myself should never go down easy! And now, for my FEAST!"

Krystal, Steven and Rose: "MARK!"

Beedrill striked with both his sharp arms, but before he could land his attack, a huge POKéMON came out from the treetops and with its huge talons, struck the Beedrill from behind, and instantly knocking it unconscious beside Mark. The four conscious Eevees were stunned seeing a magnificent Pidgeot that just rescued them.

Pidgeot: "You must be the Eevees from the letter."

Steven and Rose: "Letter?"

The Pidgeot puts his right wing in front of him and bows at them.

Pidgeot: "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Skivan, and I'm a member of the Sky Rescuers."

Rose: "A rescue team?"

Mark: "Wait... You're here to rescue us? Who sent you---I mean, who sent the letter?"

Skivan: "An Espeon named Grievald. He's an old friend of mine back in the days."

Skivan looked at them and seemed to be a bit surprised.

Skivan: "Although he requested to rescue four Eevees. There's five of you. No matter."

He then picked the unconscious Beedrill with his right talon and bit the head with his large beak, and he quickly removed the Beedrill's head and swallowed it, and then he threw what's left of its body to the nearby bushes. The Eevees were grossed.

Skivan: "I apologize. Anyway, hop on to my talons. I'll fly you to the foot of Mount Ice."

Mark asked Steven and Rose to go to Krystal to assist her. Skivan instead went near them so they can hop on its talon quicker, and soon after, Skivan flew towards the foot of Mount Ice, which didn't took a minute to get there.
After arriving, Skivan landed in front of Grievald. The Espeon was shocked to see the Eevees all injured. The other Eevees quickly took care of treating their bruises and Joseph's wounds.

Grievald: "What happened to them?"

Skivan: "Before I arrived, they were attacked by an outlaw; a Beedrill."

Grievald: "A Beedrill, you say?"

Grievald looked at them and noticed that there was an unfamiliar Eevee who is unconscious and severely wounded.

Skivan: "I suppose that the other Eevee isn't from your herd."

Grievald: "I don't know him, but if he risked his life to save them, then he is more than welcome to be with us. Anyway, here's the reward. I hope it's adequate."

Grievald then handed the Pidgeot a small brown pouch, but the Pidgeot just waved his head.

Skivan: "I accepted the rescue mission not for the reward, my friend. Keep it. You need it more than I do."

Grievald: "You never change, my friend."

Skivan: "How's your paw, by the way?"

Grievald: "It's fine, but I need not to overuse it for the time being."

Joseph said to himself while slowly closing their front door. It's 4 in the morning. For all these years, he still can't accept that his dad is gone. He's leaving home to ride a bus that will take him to the city where his dad used to work before he died. Joseph was working hard as a fisherman in their little town, and is secretly setting aside a few coins just for this day, where he can get a bus ticket to the city.
It was a 4 hour journey, and he fell asleep during the journey. He woke up after hearing the driver's voice that they'll be reaching the city soon. And after, the bus stopped in the city's bus terminal. He'll have to look for the company building where his dad used to work. He was asking the people he meet along the way, and soon, after finally hearing that it's only a block away...he felt a cold drop of water on his face.

Joseph: "Uh... wha?"

As he opened his eyes, he found himself inside a small den with an Eevee who's asleep on a bed made out of dried leaves and grass, and he's on it, too. He was saddened that turning into a POKéMON wasn't a dream after all. It was dark and raining outside. It was also gloomy inside the den, but there was enough light for him to look at the walls of the den, but suddenly got hit by the thought that POKéMON doesn't own wallclocks. He then stared at the sleeping Eevee, which at first he thought was Krystal, but soon he started to doubt whether the Eevee really is Krystal or not. He sighed and lied down to try and get back to sleep.
A small drop of rain went to the Eevee's face, which woke the sleeping POKéMON up.

Joseph: "Hey..."

Eevee: "Oh, hello Joseph. How are you feeling?"

The Eevee asked him while wiping the drop of rain off of her face with her paw.

Joseph: "Huh? Oh, right..."

Joseph looked at his left shoulder, and saw that the wound has dried up.

Joseph: "I guess I'm fine now, thanks to you guys."

Eevee: "I'm glad to hear that."

Joseph: "Hey, um... No offence but, uh... Who are you again?"

The Eevee was surprised to hear what he just asked.

Joseph: "I'm sorry, but uh, you Eevees do look alike..."

Eevee: "Not really. We have some differences. Anyway, I can't believe that after you carried me around yesterday that you forgot who I am..."

Joseph: "Krystal...?"

Krystal: "Yes, it's me. Can't you tell?"

Joseph: "How can you tell which is which...?"

Krystal: "We have different scents. We use our noses to identify each other."

Joseph: "Scents and noses, huh?"

Krystal: "It feels a bit weird to explain the obvious to someone..."

Joseph: "Well, I wasn't born as a POKéMON, y'know..."

Krystal didn't said a word after hearing Joseph's reply. She still finds it hard to believe that the Eevee she's talking to was once a human.

Joseph: "I'm... I'm sorry if I said something I shouldn't have..."

Krystal: "Don't tell anyone that you're human, if you really were a human..."

Joseph: "What? Why?"

Krystal: "Well... Humans were the reason that the world became chaotic..."

Joseph couldn't believe what he just heard. He asked her why she said such a thing, and she tells her a story about humans.
Before, not too long ago, humans and POKéMON lived separate lives, until humans started to tame the POKéMON around them. This soon created a special bond between humans and POKéMON, however, this very same bond was the reason humans grew greed in their hearts. Humans taught POKéMON how to fight against each other for entertainment, and soon, civilization grew and castles and territorial wars occured. Humans and POKéMON, forming an army, waging war against other armies. Those who weren't tamed were driven mad and some even start to fight other peaceful POKéMON. That's where outlaws started to appear, but that's also where rescue teams started to form.
Joseph was confused after everything Krystal said. He asked her about POKéMON trainers, training to become the best, meeting others along the way, forming friends, battling gym leaders, earning badges, and later on challenging the POKéMON League.
Krystal was confused, and tells him that she has never heard such things. Joseph then asked her about humans capturing POKéMON with PokéBalls, but again, Krystal didn't know about it, either.
Joseph was even more confused than before. He then later asked her what the humans looked like, but she replied that she hasn't seen one before, but she did heard stories about humans. She tells him that humans have armor, and swords and shields, and bashing and slashing opposing humans and POKéMON. Joseph was surprised to hear what Krystal just said. He concluded that he must be in the ancient times of POKéMON.

Joseph: "I can't believe this..."

Krystal: "I'm sorry, but if you really are human before, then believe me that I think that you're not like those humans."

Joseph: "Thanks..."

But that wasn't what he was thinking. He concluded that if he really is in the ancient times of the POKéMON world, then that must mean that there's no technology that could probably bring him back into a human being, or to get himself back to his world.

Krystal: "Hey... It's alright..."

Joseph wanted to react, but decided not to, instead, he then decided to go back to sleep after mumbling that he shouldn't have taken that bus to the city. Krystal was saddened to see him troubled, and wanted to know what was bothering him, but she decided not to ask and tried to go back to sleep.

The warm sun has finally started to rise after an evening rain. Krystal woke up, but was surprised that Joseph was gone. She started sniffing the area where he slept and followed the scent which led her outside the den. After a few seconds, she found him sitting on the riverbank which was a bit close to the den. She decided to sit beside him and asked him what was troubling him.

Joseph: "Er... I was thirsty... I wanted to drink."

Krystal: "Oh... I thought..."

Joseph: "Hm?"

Krystal: "Um... It's nothing..."

She then looked back after someone called out her name from behind. It was her three friends approaching them.

Mark: "G'morning!"

Steven: "Morning Krystal!"

Rose: "Hey."

Krystal: "Hi guys. G'morning."

Joseph just stared at them who were having a conversation which he didn't bother to listen, but instead, he was in deep thought about how can he return into his human form, or going back to his world, if he can't tell anyone about him being human. Soon, Steven approaches him.

Steven: "Hello. You're Joseph, right?"

Joseph: "Er... Yeah. Hi."

Steven: "Nice to meet you! I'm Steven."

The other three then went to him. Joseph stared at them with a confused face. He thought that if he'll say that he can't tell which is which, Krystal's friends might think he's not an ordinary Eevee, so he thought of asking...

Joseph: "Um... Steven? Eh, hi. Um... Can I get---er---sniff---uh..."

Rose: "You need our scent?"

Joseph: "Yes please..."

Steven: "Why didn't you say so?"

Steven went near him to put his nose on Joseph's neck. Joseph is having an akward feeling, and he couldn't hide his reaction.

Mark: "Is something wrong?"

Steven walked back after getting his scent.

Rose: "He was just probably afraid that Steven might touch his wound."

Steven and Joseph: "Huh?"

Steven: "Oh, right... I almost forgot... Sorry about that."

Joseph: "Eheheh... Er, no, it's nothing...

Joseph then noticed Krystal who seemed to be telling him to put his nose on Steven's neck. Joseph was hesitant, but had no choice.

Joseph: "Er... Steven, right?"

Steven: "Yep."

Joseph: "Ahm... May I...?"

Steven: "Sure."

Rose: "He's nice, unlike someone I know."

Mark looked at Rose angrily as Joseph is sniffing Steven's scent. Rose just gave him a smile. Joseph is having a weird feeling on his head, but he just concluded that it must be his Eevee-ness registering Steven's scent. And after he got a strange feeling that he finally registered Steven's scent on his head, he moved his head away from him.

Steven: "Don't forget, okay Joseph? My name's Steven!"

Joseph: "Uh, yeah. Sure, Steven..."

Mark: "I'm next."

And while Rose is waiting for her turn and Mark is sniffing Joseph's scent, Steven went to Krystal to talk.

Steven: "Hey, Krystal."

Krystal: "Hm?"

Steven: "You said you found him on a beach, right?"

Krystal: "Yes."

Steven: "Well, did you ask him how he got there?"

Krystal: "Um... No. I guess I haven't thought of asking him about that."

Joseph was now sniffing Mark's scent.

Steven: "Do you think he's from a different land?"

Krystal: "Well, I guess..."

Steven: "If he is, then it'd be cool to know about where he came from!"

Krystal: "Well, I suppose..."

Mark: "I'm Mark! Remember my name, 'kay!?"

Rose: "I guess I'm next... Joseph, right?"

Joseph: "Ah, yes."

Mark then moved aside. Rose then sniffed Joseph's scent. Mark then decided to approach Steven and Krystal.

Mark: "Hey guys! Wat'cha talking about?"

Krystal: "Hi Mark."

Steven: "We were just talking about Joseph and about how cool it would be to know about where he came from."

Mark: "Really? Oh yeah... Krystal, you said that he's not from here in Kinah, or in Ttala, right?"

Krystal: "Yep. That's what he said when I found him."

Joseph then sniffs Rose's scent.

Mark: "I wonder how he got here, though..."

Steven: "He was washed ashore, so maybe he had a little accident?"

Mark: "Maybe... But let's ask him later."

Joseph just finished sniffing Rose's scent.

Rose: "My name's Rose. Nice to know you, Joseph."

Joseph: "Um, yeah... Likewise."

Krystal, Mark and Steven approaches the two Eevees.

Rose: "Krystal said she found you on the beach. Why were you there?"

Mark: "Were you from a far-away land?"

Steven: "What was it like? Please do tell us!"

Joseph couldn't answer their questions truthfully, for he's worried about what Krystal told him not to tell anyone about him being human.

Joseph: "I-ah... Um... I can't remember..."

Mark: "What!?"

Steven: "You can't remember anything, at all?"

Rose: "What happened?"

Joseph: "I ah... I don't really know... All I remember was waking up and seeing Krystal..."

Rose: "Strange..."

Mark: "Well, it was a stormy evening that time... I guess you hit your head or something?"

Joseph: "I'm... I'm sorry guys, really..."

Mark: "What? Don't be!"

Steven: "Yeah, Mark's right. Cheer up!"

Mark: "I'm sure you'll get your memory back! Right Steven?"

Steven: "Yep!"

Mark: "Right, Rose?"

Rose: "Yes, definitely."

Mark: "Right, Krystal?"

Krystal: "Huh? Oh, yes... Yes, of course."

Mark: "See? It's no problem!"

Joseph: "I... I guess you're right, Mark... Uh!"

Joseph was a bit surprised that he knew who was the Eevee talking to him. He looked at them and he can finally tell which is which.

Rose: "Hey, we should probably go back now."

Steven: "Oh yeah... Hey Mark. Remember what the chief told us?"

Mark: "Hm? Oh, right... Hey Joseph, the chief wanted to see you."

Joseph: "Huh? Me? Meet the chief? Why?"

Rose: "He must be planning on thanking you for rescuing our friend."

Joseph: "Oh..."

Mark: "Hey, c'mon!"

Joseph: "Uh, yeah, sure..."

Mark and Steven went ahead. Rose then invited Krystal to walk together and follow the two male Eevees. Joseph then follows. While they're walking, Joseph is busy in his thoughts about what would happen if he tells anyone the truth. He also plans to ask Krystal's opinion on what would the others think if he'll tell them who he really is. He then thought about the Mystery Dungeon games, and he relates his situation to the game's story. He then thought that there really must be 'something' that warped him into this world, but he just couldn't figure out what or why. Later, they arrived at the center of the Eevee's territory, where the chief is staying. Mark and Steven greeted their chief, and then Krystal and Rose did the same. Joseph then greeted him with an unsure 'hi'. Grievald went in front of Joseph.

Grievald: "You must be Joseph. The one who saved Krystal, correct?"

Joseph: "Er, yes, yes sir."

Steven: "Wow, he said 'sir'..."

Rose: "He even knows respect..."

Mark: "Zip it..."

Grievald then sniffs his scent on his neck, and again, Joseph's giving off an akward face. After the Espeon got his scent, he moved his head away.

Grievald: "I thank you for your heroism, Joseph."

Joseph: "It... was no problem at all."

Grievald: "Then I'd like to offer you to join our herd."

He gave it some thought. He recalled that he told Krystal that he'll search for a way to get back into his world, but after that incident with the Beedrill, he thought that it would be safe if he'll hang around the herd for a while.

Joseph: "I uh... after that incident, I'm afraid I have nowhere else to go where it's safe, so yeah... I would accept your offer. Thanks."

Grievald: "Then I welcome you to the herd. Now then..."

Grievald shifts his attention to the other young Eevees.

Grievald: "...I would like to talk with our newest member alone."

Mark: "What? That ain't fun..."

Rose: "Come on, let's go, Mark."

Mark: "But... But..."

Steven: "Hey, Joseph!"

Joseph: "Huh?"

Steven: "Tell us all about what the chief will be talking about, 'kay?"

Joseph: "Yeah, sure Steven, I guess."

Krystal: "Later."

Joseph: "Likewise."

And the four young Eevees went away.

Grievald: "Now then, tell me. Where are you from?"

Joseph: "Oh, well... I don't really know... I mean... Uh..."

Grievald: "Krystal told me that you were unconscious on a shore."

Joseph: "I guess I was, sir..."

Grievald: "Please stop calling me 'sir'. It makes me sound old..."

Joseph: "Oh, well uh, I'm sorry si--eh...chief?"

Grievald: "That'll do."

Joseph then thought that the word chief sounds even older than sir. He then pays attention.

Grievald: "So you don't remember where you're from?"

Joseph: "I believe so..."

Grievald: "Hm... That's unfortunate... I would really love to know why you have a weird aura..."

Joseph: "Aura?"

Grievald: "Yes. An aura is what we psychic types use to communicate with other fellow psychic types."

Joseph: "Wow."

Grievald: "It's also a way for us to know if there are dangers ahead of us. And also, everything that has a spirit has an aura. Your aura is somewhat different from the others around."

Joseph: "I... see..."

Grievald: "I am not sure, but your aura resembles that of a..."

Joseph: "...human?"

The chief was a bit surprised after what Joseph said.

Grievald: "Yes. Your aura does resemble that of a human..."

He quickly remembred about what Krystal told him about not letting anyone know about him being human, so to hide the truth a bit, he thought about the dream he had last night.

Joseph: "... Last night... I had a dream... About me being a human..."

Grievald: "Hm... Then have you told anyone about this..."

Joseph: "I have... I told Krystal about it... But she told me not to tell anyone else about it."

Grievald: "And she gave you a wonderful advise."

Joseph: "Huh?"

Grievald: "Whether you're an Eevee or a human, it doesn't change the fact that you saved one of us. Although I would like you to keep Krystal's advise in mind. The herd isn't really fond with humans..."

Joseph: "Is it because of the war Krystal was talking about?"

Grievald: "Indeed. We lost many of our friends because of them a long time ago..."

Joseph: "Oh... I'm sorry..."

Grievald: "But I know not all humans are the same. Anyway, if you really think you were human, then I suppose you're looking for a way to turn back into a human, am I right?"

Joseph: "Ehehe... I guess everyone here made the right choice of making you their chief... Well, yes, of course... But I don't think that's even possible..."

Grievald: "If you're interested, you can try and talk to Luvian."

Joseph: "Who-now?"

Grievald: "Luvian is a Xatu. She can see both the past and the future at the same time, so she is usually in a quiet place."

Joseph: "And... why would I need to see her?"

Grievald: "If you really were human, or even if you're not, she may be able to tell what happened to you before Krystal found you."

Joseph was surprised to hear the chief's idea. It's true that he can't remember what happened to him before that. But then a thought suddenly hit him.

Joseph: "Wait... Why are you telling me this?"

Grievald: "I just wish to help. I also met a strange Eevee a few years ago who claims that he was human..."

Joseph was surprised to hear what Grievald just said.

Grievald: "...and I also told him to go and meet up with Luvian. I haven't heard from him since."

Joseph: "An Eevee... A few years ago... No... It couldn't be..."

Grievald: "Do you know him? Is your memory coming back?"

Joseph: "Um... no... Only a few... But I think I know him...

Joseph can't help but think that the other Eevee the chief was talking about is his father. He suddenly got the urge to go and see this Luvian the chief is talking about.

Joseph: "So, where can I meet this Luvian the Xatu?"

Grievald: "On top of this mountain..."

Joseph then looked up the mountain, but the mountain reaches the sky, and clouds are covering the peak.

Joseph: "You're kidding, right...?"

Grievald: "The entrance is on the other side from here."

Joseph: "Really though... Why are you telling me all this?"

Grievald: "If you really wish to know, then let's just say that this is my way for me to get rid of you, in a helpful manner..."

Joseph: "Oh... I see... So you want me gone...?"

Grievald: "It's not that I don't want you here. It's just that I don't think an Eevee such as yourself can stay long as an Eevee, if you really were human..."

Joseph: "..."

Grievald: "And do not worry. I won't give word of your secret."

Joseph is not worried about everyone knowing that he's human. He's worried about the possibility of a fearsome POKéMON lurking inside the mountain.

Joseph: "Thanks... But the only thing that's troubling me is the fact that POKéMON might attack me if I try and go up the peak..."

Grievald: "Good. You're thinking ahead, and that's a good thing."

Joseph: "If only I could fight as well... I don't even know how to perform a Shadow Ball..."

Grievald: "It's a simple attack that can be mastered by an Eevee if they practice."

Joseph: "Hm..."

Grievald: "You may not know it, but you already made friends, and I don't know if this applies to humans, but friends always help each other out."

Joseph: "You said that it's a simple attack... It would be embarrasing to ask them to teach me... But I need to, if I want to go up there."

Grievald: "Indeed."

Joseph: "Thank you, chief. But before I go, about that Eevee, did he mention his name?"

Grievald: "No... He didn't... He only said that he needs to go back so he can return to his family."

Joseph: "I see..."

And after thanking the chief, he took off and looks for his Eevee friends to ask them if they're willing to teach him a few moves.

Joseph, who turned into an Eevee for unknown reasons, along with his 2 new Eevee friends: Mark and Steven, are in a forest near the Eevee territory for training. At first, Mark and Steven couldn't believe that Joseph doesn't know any attacks except for Bite. They have been practicing for 5 hours now and Joseph hasn't learned any new attacks, but he's starting to get the hang of Iron Tail which is Steven's specialty. Steven has been a good teacher than Mark, though. Now, Steven wants Joseph to strike him with an Iron Tail attack. Joseph strikes after concentrating his strength on his tail and he finally did the attack successfully. Steven was proud and dodges the attack.

Steven: "Great job, Joseph!"

Joseph: "Damn... Finally... Phew... Thanks...!"

And just in time, Krystal and Rose just arrived with berries for their lunch. They took a break and Mark and Steven joined the female Eevees for lunch. Joseph was having a hard time cooling off, for he's not used to have his tongue out to release his body heat.

Rose: "Hey, Joseph. Come and join us!"

Joseph: "Yeah, just a moment... Ha... Phew..."

And after seconds of deeply exhaling and inhaling, he finally cooled himself down a bit and finally joined them. He sees them eating with their mouths only, and so he tried his best to eat like an Eevee, which was easier than he expected. While they're eating, Joseph is thinking that he needs to expand his stamina, for he notice that he gets tired easily while they were training than Mark or even Steven. But he thought that he can increase his stamina while training for attack moves.
After they ate, Rose then told Joseph that it was her turn to train him. Her specialty is the move Double Kick. Joseph thought that it sounded easy at first, but after he saw Rose doing it backwards and successfully hit the large rock nearby, he took the thought back. Rose told him that the strategy in the move is to aim while turning, and then perform the attack. He then tried it, but after he turned his body, he landed flat on the ground. Mark laughed at him. Joseph then notice that his knees are already tired and exhausted. Krystal rushed to him and helped him back on his feet. Mark saw this and stopped laughing. Krystal then asked him to rest for a while, but Joseph told her that he's fine and wants to continue with the training, but after Rose and Steven convinced him to rest, he and Krystal went to the den, leaving Mark, Steven and Rose in their training area. Rose then looked at Mark who looked a bit annoyed.

Rose: "Something bothering you, Mark?"

Mark: "What? Oh, nothing."

Steven: "Hm? Mark? What's the matter?"

Mark: "I told you guys, it's nothing... really...!"

Rose: "You can't lie."

Steven: "We've been friends for a long time, y'know. So we can tell that something's on your mind..."

Mark: "Tsk... Fine..."

And after Mark took a deep breath and exhaled, he confesses.

Mark: "I'm jealous of Joseph..."

Rose: "Thought so..."

Steven: "Jealous? How come?"

Mark: "How? Look at them... Krystal used to hang with us all the time... But ever since Joseph came, she only cares for him all the time..."

Steven: "Well, he did saved her."

Mark: "We saved them both!"

Rose: "A Pidgeot saved us five..."

Mark: "Whatever! I think she'll no longer be with us any time soon... I bet their couples now..."

Steven: "Easy, Mark... Don't you think it's a bit early to judge them?"

Rose: "True. He's just been with us for almost two days now."

Steven: "Plus, they're couples? You're thinking too much. I don't think Krystal's old enough for the two of them to be couples."

Mark: "I know, but still..."

Rose: "If you are jealous, then you should talk to them about it."

Mark: "And why would I do that?"

Rose: "For you to release what you're feeling."

Mark: "I am..."

Steven: "But it would be better if you talk to them..."

Mark: "Fine... Fine... I'll do just that..."

While Joseph and Krystal were going to her den, he notice that there's only one Eevee in each den they pass by. Soon, he notices two adult Eevees sharing one den with their children.

Joseph: "Hey, um, Krystal."

Krystal: "Hm?"

Joseph: "May I ask why am I staying in your den?"

Krystal: "Oh. Well, you don't have a den yet..."

Joseph: "I see, but why am I staying with you?"

Krystal: "Huh? Is something wrong with that?"

Joseph: "Well... Is there?"

Krystal: "Nope."

Joseph: "Er... Okay..."

He thought that if he was in his world, a boy staying with a girl in her room would give others very bad thoughts about them both. But he accepted the thought that things are different in this world. Soon, they arrived at her den. Joseph went inside and went to his bed and laid down to rest himself while Krystal stayed outside.

Joseph: "Hey. When do you think I can get myself my own den?"

Krystal: "Well, you can make one now if you want."

Joseph: "I can? How?"

Krystal: "You'll just have to use the move Dig and well, dig through the walls of the mountain."

Joseph: "Oh... That was obvious, wasn't it..."

Krystal: "Yes, it was... Anyway, I'll leave you here for a while, 'kay?"

Joseph: "Yeah, sure."

Krystal then walks off to meet up with her friends, leaving Joseph who closes his eyes to try and go to sleep. Soon, Krystal sees Mark, Steven and Rose who were going towards her. After they reached each other, they sat on the ground and started a conversation.

Krystal: "Hey guys. Where are you going?"

Mark: "We were, well..."

Rose: "We were suppose to go and see you in your den."

Steven: "But it turns out that you were heading back to the forest."

Krystal: "Well, I thought you guys were still there, so I thought of meeting you guys there."

Rose: "Well, this proves it."

Krystal: "Huh?"

Steven: "Yep. Mark was thinking too much, yes he was!"

Mark: "Zip it..."

Krystal: "What are you guys talking about?"

Mark: "Well, it was nothing... Don't mind it."

Krystal: "You're hiding something..."

Rose: "He always does..."

Steven: "Hey, Rose, wanna help me pick up some berries for later?"

Steven asked her with a smile. Rose knew what he was planning, and agrees, and the two of them walks off, leaving behind Mark and Krystal. Mark just gave them an evil glare as the two just smiled while walking off.

Krystal: "So, what's on your mind?"

Mark: "Nothing... I already said nothing... It's nothing..."

Krystal: "You're not really good at lying, y'know..."

Mark sighed and looked at her. He took a deep breath and tells her.

Mark: "Okay... Fine... I, ah... I think I'm jealous of Joseph..."

Krystal: "Huh? Jealous? Why would you be jealous?"

Mark: "It's because I thought that you two were already couples and..."

Krystal: "Eh?"

Mark: "...I thought that was the reason you were always with him all the time."

Krystal: "Why would you think that?"

Mark: "..."

Krystal: "Well, he helped me and so, I think I owe him in some way..."

Mark: "Do you like him?"

Krystal: "Huh? Of course I do! He's a friend. I like you, too, and Rose and Steven... You all are my friends."

Mark: "...That was not what I meant..."

Krystal: "Mark, you're being weird..."

Mark: "Sigh... I know, I know... I guess Steven was right about me thinking too much..."

Krystal: "Hahah. Well, yes, you are! And that's what makes you the Mark I know. Hahah."

Mark: "You're making me feel bad about myself..."

Krystal: "Hahah, well anyway... Let's go and catch up with Rose and Steven."

And Krystal runs off to where Rose and Steven went. Mark then followed.
Mark and Rose are the eldest among the four. Mark just turned 7 Eevee years, which is equivalent to a human teenager reaching adulthood. His instinct is starting to change from being a playful young Eevee into a young adult Eevee who is slowly searching for a mate, hence why he's starting to have some changes with the way he thinks of things. Rose will be turning 7 soon, but female Eevees mature early, hence why she knew what Mark is going through. Steven and Krystal are about the same age. Both of them are turning 6 Eevee years.
After they gathered enough berries, they put it on a large leaf and used it to carry their berries. Mark bit the front part of the leaf while Steven bit the back part, and they both carried it back as the two female Eevees followed. They stopped in front of Krystal's den where Joseph woke up after hearing that they put the leaf bag on the ground. He went outside to see what it was and he saw them with happy faces.

Joseph: "We're gonna eat again?"

Steven: "Yep."

Joseph: "But we just ate...!"

Krystal: "Hahah, well, that was an hour ago."

Rose: "Will you join us or not?"

Joseph: "I can't believe you guys..."

And so they ate up the berries. After they ate, they sat on where they were and started a conversation.

Mark: "Hey, Joseph."

Joseph: "Yes?"

Mark: "Can I ask why you wanted to learn some attack moves?"

Joseph: "Oh, right... I haven't told you guys yet, huh? Well, I wanted to go to the top of this mountain..."

Steven and Mark: "What!?"

Rose: "You're serious?"

Krystal: "Why would you want to go up there?"

Steven: "The chief told us that the ice POKéMONs there can freeze us..."

Joseph: "Okay... The chief didn't tell me anything about that..."

Mark: "Wait... The chief told you to go there?"

Joseph: "Well, he said that there's a Xatu there who he thinks can help me figure out about my past..."

Krystal: "Oh..."

Rose: "I see."

Mark: "Oh, right... You can't remember how you end up on the beach..."

Steven: "But really... That place is dangerous..."

Joseph: "I guess... that's why I'm training...?"

Rose: "Training isn't good enough, though..."

Mark: "Oh, hey, I know! Why don't we form a rescue team?"

Steven: "A rescue team?"

Krystal: "I think that sounds fun."

Rose: "But forming a rescue team just to go up there is nonsense..."

Steven: "Yeah, plus, that place is dangerous..."

Joseph: "How many times do you have to repeat that dangerous stuff?"

Mark: "Maybe if we all go together, we can watch each other's backs!"

Rose: "And if we all go, we will all die up there..."

Steven: "Rose has a good point..."

Mark: "But as Krystal said, Joseph's a friend, and I think friends help each other out..."

Joseph: "I think I can go by myself though, if I have proper training..."

Mark: "Huh?"

Joseph: "Plus, I don't want you guys to get hurt just because of me..."

Krystal: "Oh, I know... Joseph said something about us Eevees and our evolutions..."

Joseph: "Huh?"

Krystal: "What was that word again?"

Joseph: "You mean 'The Eeveelutions'...?"

Mark: "Hey, not bad. In time, we'll evolve eventually, so that'd be a cool name!"

Steven: "I think it's a cool rescue team name!"

Rose: "I guess I'll just go with it."

Krystal: "I'm in!"

Joseph: "I still think you guys need to give this more thought..."

Mark: "Team Eeveelutions! Let's go training!"

Everyone were quiet for a while...

Mark: "I guess I should remove the 'Team' part on the name, huh...?"

Steven: "Yep..."

Mark: "Alright... Let's do this again... Eeveelutions, let's go!"

Steven, Krystal and Rose: "Ho!"

Joseph: "Yeah, whatever..."

And they all went back to the forest where they were training. They were working hard in their training and teaching Joseph some attacks. He later learned how to properly do the move Double Kick, but he can't perform a Shadow Ball attack, which he finds very difficult to do. They just cheered him up and continued their training.
Later that night, all Eevees gathered in the center of their territory and circling a bonfire. They had a little prayer led by their chief, where they wished to have peace in all the lands and to the next days to come. After, they all ate berries together. Joseph and his friends grouped themselves. After Mark satisfies his hunger, he approaches the chief. Joseph saw him and wondered why he went to see the chief.

Rose: "He's asking permission about us forming a rescue team."

Joseph: "Wow... You can read minds?"

Rose: "Not really... It was just obvious that you were going to ask."

Steven: "We need the chief's approval before we can be an official rescue team."

Joseph: "An official rescue team? Wait... There are POKéMON who manages rescue teams?"

Krystal: "Yes. They are also the ones who send rescue missions and outlaw wanted posters all throughout the lands."

Joseph: "Really? Wow..."

Rose: "You don't know that?"

Joseph: "Well, kinda... But where will we look for rescue letters around here?"

Steven: "I think, once our herd has an official rescue team, our chief will be the one to receive the letters."

The other Eevees overheard what Mark said and they all cheered for them, wished them good luck and tells them to take care of themselves. Mark and the others were happy that their herd supports them. Joseph wasn't sure if things will work out okay. He looks at their chief who was also looking at him. The chief just nods his head, and Joseph thought that he meant was for him to do his best.
Later that night, Joseph and Krystal were already in her den and preparing to go to sleep.

Krystal: "Tomorrow's gonna be a great day!"

Joseph: "Yeah..."

Krystal: "Aren't you excited? If we can meet the Xatu, you can learn more about what happened."

Joseph: "What if they find out that I were human..."

Krystal: "Huh? Oh, right..."

Joseph: "Also, earlier today, the chief told me about my aura was somehow the same as those of a human..."

Krystal: "..."

Joseph: "So I guess he knew that I was human, too..."

Krystal: "Oh..."

Joseph: "I wonder what will the others think once they knew who I really am..."

Krystal: "... I think we shouldn't mind about that for now..."

Joseph: "..."

Both became silent. After a few seconds, Krystal went to sleep after greeting him good night. Joseph then closed his eyes to go to sleep. He thought about the dream he had last night, and he hoped that he can dream about what happened to him again when he falls to sleep, but when the sun finally rose up, and Krystal was waking him up, he didn't had any dreams while he was asleep. He saw that Krystal was really happy and excited, so he tried his best to smile so he could at least hide his disappointment for not having the dream. They went to the chief, and they found Mark, Steven and Rose who were already with the chief. Other Eevees also gathered to witness the event.

Mark: "What took you guys so long!?"

Krystal: "Sorry."

Grievald: "Now then... I have here your badges, and a little note..."

Mark: "A note?"

Grievald: "Yes... It says here, that why would a rescue team have five members... Well, anyway, Eeveelutions, is it?

Steven and Mark: "Yep!"

Grievald: "Then here are your badges."

Grievald puts a small box in front of them and inside where five white rescue team badges, with their names on it. He also puts a small bag for their items. They each took a badge with their names on it.

Steven: "Oh, wow!"

Rose: "Cool."

Krystal: "It's really pretty."

Mark: "I can't believe this!"

Joseph: "Erm... How are we gonna attach these on us?"

Mark: "Silly. You'll just have to put it on here."

And Mark showed Joseph that he sticked the badge on his right chest. He wondered how a badge automatically sticks itself on its weilder, but didn't bother asking, instead, he tried it on his right chest and it did sticks itself, and he was amazed. The others also sticked their badges on. The crowd gave them a round of applause. Steven took the bag and wore it.

Grievald: "Although now that you're an official rescue team, there are no letters here for you yet..."

Mark: "That's alright. We got ourselves a mission, anyway."

Grievald: "I see. But what would your mission be?"

Steven: "We're going on top of Mount Ice."

Grievald: "What!?"

Rose: "It's stupid, we know..."

The crowd was shocked and started to whisper to each other. Grievald looked at Joseph, who just looked at the ground. Grievald sighed.

Grievald: "You are aware of the dangers this mountain holds, right?"

Mark: "Yep. But this is for our friend, and he needs our help."

Krystal and Joseph: "..."

Steven: "We don't want him to go alone there, though, so we all decided to go together."

Mark: "This will also test ourselves if we truly deserve the badge!"

Grievald: "Sigh... Very well... But if things get out of hand, use your badges to call for help."

Joseph: "Our badges?"

Mark: "Yes, chief! Okay team! Let's go!"

Steven: "Right!"

Joseph: "The entrance should be at the other side, though..."

Grievald and the other Eevees watched as the five young Eevees marched to the entrance of Mount Ice. An elderly Eevee approaches the chief.

Elderly Eevee: "Chief, why would you let five children go to such a dangerous place?

Grievald: "..."

Elderly Eevee: "You know you can't always count on Skivan to help."

Later, they finally found a huge cave on the foot of Mount Ice.

Mark: "This must be it..."

Rose: "The air here's cooler..."

Joseph: "Probably, that is the only exit for the air from above."

Krystal: "It's creepy inside... And it's dark..."

Mark: "Well, we can't do anything here, so let's go."

And as they slowly enters the cave, Joseph is wondering why they are determined to help him. It must be their nature to help their friends, but he didn't bother to ask and instead, he stays alert for anything that might happen.

Okay real quick I'm only able to read the prologue and Chapter 1, so the review posted here are for those. Chapters 2 and 3 I might get to later when I get the chance.

All right first thing I want to say is I'm not a big fan of script fics as those stories ted to fall short in terms of characterization and emotions. I do commend you for putting the effort in the narration and description and it is better than other script fics I had read. The problem though is I feel this story would be better as prose. The thing with scripts is they're hard to write due to the purpose of them pointing out what scenes and dialogue the actors (plays and movies) will act out. There are some parts where you referenced the character's thoughts and feelings, which are rarely mentioned in scripts (unless you have the character say their feelings in a voice over or speak in front of the character/audience). Like I said, scripts mention how the characters will react and their actions. For an example of an effective script fic,, I suggest The Gym by Neko Godot. The way he wrote the story in script format is he only referenced what they were doing and their reactions while having them say their true feelings in the camera due to the story being a comedy one.

A couple other things I want to say concerning scripts:

-Scripts never have quotation marks like this: Rose: "Hey, Joseph. Come and join us!" You would see the dialogue without he quotation marks like this: Rose: Hey, Joseph. Come and join us!
-Also the character labels to indicate which character is speaking is never color-coded either as someone reading a script will already know which character is speaking. While I'm at it, scripts aren't bolded either (or at least the scripts I had read doesn't have bold).

Now, I'm not saying to downplay the description or the emotions, far from it. What I'm trying to get at is having your story in script format probably isn't the best choice here. The way I see it is I'm reading a story with decent narration but the dialogue in script, which is lazy writing to me. It's your choice in the end if you want to continue this story in script or narrative format, I'm just giving you points regarding how to write an effective script story.

Okkkkkay, sorry for the long ramble there. D: I had read and practiced writing scripts before so I know a thing or two about them. Granted, it's been like seven years since I last wrote one, so I'm a bit rusty on the explanation. ;

Moving on, the first chapter I feel things are moving a bit fast there, mostly with the Eevees battling against the Beedrill. You seemed to be telling instead of showing the attacks (for instance kept mentioning Shadow Ball instead of describing how it look like nor how that attack was launched). I guess this also has to do with the dialogue being in script format instead in prose format for the interactions to be more expanded upon, but you already heard enough of my talks over that. x_x

Over grammar, it’s not my strong in writing so I don’t tend to mention those, but I do notice several instances where you got the tenses mixed up.

Quote:

Beedrill strikes with both his sharp arms, but before he could land his attack, a huge POKéMON came out from the treetops and with its huge talons, struck the Beedrill from behind, and instantly knocking it unconscious.

Here I bolded where you had present tense while the rest of the paragraph the verbs were in past tense. You need to keep you tenses consistent (from what I can tell, you’re going for past tense).

So far I’m not impressed with the story yet. Joseph’s backstory over how he got to the Pokemon world isn’t new as that happens to many characters who suddenly got transported in the Pokemon world, Pokemon Mystery Dungeon fics included. I haven’t read Chapters 2 and 3 yet, so perhaps the story will get better. I wish you luck though with this story and again hopefully I'll have time to look over Chapters 2 and 3.

First off, there are a couple grammar mistakes in the Author's Introduction sections, for example where you say "there could be some wrong grammars" should be "grammar", although that's not strictly important. Story time!

Prologue: "A head of Eevees" should be "Eevee". "through the chilly winds are they slowly march" - this doesn't make sense, maybe "through the chilly winds as they slowly march" would be better? "Beedrills" should be "Beedrill", but I'm going to stop pointing out Pokemon plurals after this one. The comma between "chief" and "Grievald" isn't needed. "This year, his herd grew to 27 in number" - tense issues here, maybe replace with "This year, his herd had grown to 27 in number"? "He suffers a broken knee on his left front foot" - does this make sense? "Minutes later and the heavens finally showered the land. They know too well that the forest will soon show mists" - tense has randomly changed here? "Soon, they exited the forest safely." - once again, this contradicts the present tense format you have been using. Mostly al the issues with the prologue are tensing issues so I'll stop pointing them out now, but what I would say is that its extremely hard to write a prologue the way you have in the present tense, especially with English being a second language; I would suggest going back and writing it in the past tense as this will be much easier to write correctly and will also fit in better as a prologue. There are also cases where you seem to randomly swap between tenses, something you may need to look at. Otherwise its a good setting to the story, has definitely made me want to read the rest!

Chapter 1: "we can share our territory to you." - should replace "to" with "with". "break, and afterwards, we'll be on our way." - you don't need two commas here. "and seems to be having a meeting" should be "seemed". I'll stop making corrections as they all seem to follow a similar theme; read back through the work and pay close attention to tenses. For this chapter it's a good story and it's somewhat exciting, but it is a little confusing as to which Pokemon is supposed to be the main character here. From the prologue I assumed it'd be Espeon, but he's barely mentioned here? I suppose the main characters are Krystal, Joseph and Grievald...?

Throughout the rest of the story, similar errors occur, so I'd recommend going back and checking tenses/plurals; however, the story itself is good. I'm very keen to find out what happens next and the revelations and decisions that have been made by the characters so far have been very interesting to read! I would recommend working a bit more on establishing main themes though, as the story does seem to be somewhat all over the place at times. Overall, good work. I will make sure to check back for future updates and changes!

Thanks for the comments you two...
I'll try and fix those when I can get some time.
Also, I got used to add color and make them bold since highschool...
I've been making scripts for plays and projects and things like that, and I made it like that so my characters can easily tell where their lines are ('cause they were too lazy to look for it)...

----------

Chapter 4Ice

After a few minutes of searching, they finally found a huge cave on the foot of Mount Ice.

Mark: "This must be it..."

Rose: "The air here's cooler..."

Joseph: "Probably, that is the only exit for the air from above."

Krystal: "It's creepy inside... And it's dark..."

Mark: "Well, we can't do anything here, so let's go."

They went inside the cave, however, after a few seconds of walking inside, they reached a dead-end. The path was blocked by rocks and boulders, and there was no way to get through. They were all surprised to see the dead-end. Mark and Steven went ahead and tried to look for a way through, but neither achieved to find an entrance. The two Eevees went back to the group.

Rose: "So... What now?"

Steven: "Our first mission..."

Mark: "Zip it..."

Joseph: "Hey... Maybe we can dig our way under this roadblock?"

Krystal: "Roadblock?"

Mark: "Hey. Yeah, you're right! We CAN dig our way through!"

Rose: "Nice plan, Joseph."

Steven: "Mark should lead the way! Hahah!"

Steven said and laughed.

?: "I won't do that if I were you..."

Everyone was surprised to hear a voiced that echoed in the cave. They looked around and Rose spotted an old Golem sitting near a corner of the cave. Mark thought that the Golem was harmless, and so he invited his friends to approach the old POKéMON.

Mark: "And why shouldn't we dig our way through?"

Joseph: "But before anything else, hello to you..."

Rose: "Mark should learn a few manners..."

Mark: "Zip it...!"

Old Golem: "A very fearsome outlaw is inside this huge cave-in..."

Krystal: "A cave-in...?"

Old Golem: "Yes... If you're interested, I can tell you the story of what happened here..."

Joseph: "I'm interested."

Krystal: "Me too!"

Rose: "Meh, I guess it would be nice to know what happened."

Steven: "I am."

Mark: "Fine..."

Old Golem: "Well then youngsters... Listen well..."

The five Eevees sat down in front of the old POKéMON to listen.
A few years ago, there was an outlaw who freezes the nearby landscape where other POKéMON live in peace. Rescue teams came and tried to stop the outlaw, but none were able to stop her. Rescue team members were frozen to death. This gave her the name, Ice, the Froslass. Soon, an elite rescue team came into the scene, composed of a Pidgeot, an Espeon, a Golem and a Rapidash, and they called themselves, Team Wave. Their battle was fierce but the rescue team managed to drive the outlaw inside this cave. If she won't surrender, then they'll kill her, and that was their offer to Ice, but she refuses to be arrested and continued to fight. Unfortunately, during the battle, the Rapidash was caught off-guard and Ice froze its four legs, and soon, things went worse for the rescue team were getting exhausted. Ice threw an icycle spear at Golem, who tried to block it but to no avail. The Golem was severely injured and was thrown back towards the entrance of the cave. Ice cornered the Pidgeot and was about to strike a lethal blow with an Ice Spear, but then a flaming tornado surrounded the outlaw. Angered, she threw the spear at Rapidash, and was hit on the head. Blood flowed from the fire horse's head as he fell to the ground. This angered the Espeon and attacked the outlaw with a powerful psychic wave, despite his condition, but unfortunately, his attack wasn't enough to knock the outlaw out. Soon, Espeon and Pidgeot were knocked unconscious. Ice then shifts her attention to Golem, but again, a fire tornado trapped the outlaw. Golem saw the dying Rapidash, and from his lips, he saw him saying to go and save themselves. Golem wasn't willing to leave his friend, but had no choice, for he then remembers their promise to the POKéMON, to defeat the outlaw. The Golem quickly used Stealth Rock below his comrades: Pidgeot and Espeon, but his move can't reach the dying Rapidash. A part of land floated and carried his allies behind Golem, but then Froslass broke free from the flaming tornado, and once again threw an icycle spear at the Rapidash. The outlaw then angrily faced the other three rescue team members, where she witnessed the Golem used Earthquake, which caused the upper surface of the cave to collapse. Before the area was completely sealed, the Golem saw his friend with a smiling face, and soon closed his eyes and took his last breath. And after recovering their strength, a Xatu casted a psychic spell around the mountain against ghost-types to be unable to get in or out of the mountain. Since then, the outlaw has been trapped inside the mountain, unable to escape, and the Xatu flew on top to peacefully guard the mountain and to watch over the spell of the mountain. Soon, the mountain was named as Mount Ice.
The Golem ended his story after saying that he was the Golem in the story he shared with the young Eevees. Joseph was curious enough to ask if the Espeon from the story was Grievald, and the Golem confirms it. The other four Eevees were surprised to hear the Golem's confirmation that their chief was once a member of an elite rescue team. Steven then asked if the Pidgeot was Skivan, and once again, the Golem said yes. Joseph apologized to know what happened to their Rapidash friend, but the Golem said not to worry about it. Rose once again teased Mark about not being respectful, but he just ignored her. Mark then stood up and suggested that they'll go outside the cave, and his four friends agreed and stood up, and they started to walk, but after taking a few steps, Joseph looked at the Golem.

Joseph: "Before we go, may I ask what you are doing here?"

Old Golem: "Praying for my friend's soul and guarding this place."

Joseph: "I see..."

After they went out of the cave, they gathered under a tall Oran Tree nearby. Steven was busy collecting some berries.

Mark: "So, what now?"

Joseph: "We can go back, though..."

Mark: "What?"

Joseph: "It's not really important to go up there, anyway..."

Mark: "Hey, don't say that! A memory is important, y'know!"

Joseph: "A memory?"

Rose: "It's sad to loose a memory..."

Joseph: "Not really... No..."

Mark: "... Don't say that without thinking it over..."

Joseph: "What?"

Mark: "Nothing... Nevermind..."

And Mark went towards the cave of the mountain. Joseph wondered about what Mark just said, but neither Rose nor Krystal said anything about it. Rose then stood up and went to Mark. Joseph asked Krystal about what Mark just said, but she just told him that Mark should be the one to answer his question. Meanwhile, Mark is looking at the wall of the mountain, and after a while, he calls them over to tell his idea. He told them that they'll be mountain climbing. Joseph quickly exclaimed that it's a bad idea. Steven and Rose backed him up, but Mark told them that they don't have any other options. After a few minutes, they were convinced and they started to climb Mount Ice.
Twenty minutes after they started climbing, a Pidgeot landed in front of the cave of Mount Ice. The Pidgeot enters the cave and sees a Golem on a corner.

Pidgeot: "It's been a while, Raze... How are you?"

Raze: "Ah, Skivan. I am at my usual, unfortunately..."

Skivan: "This place brings back those memories..."

Raze: "..."

Skivan: "Anyway, I came here to fetch five Eevees. Were they here?"

Raze: "Yes, they were, but may I ask why? A rescue mission, perhaps?"

Skivan: "No. Our friend, Grievald, asked me to fetch them."

Raze: "Grievald, huh? How is he?"

Skivan: "He's doing fine. He injured his knee, but he's recovering."

Raze: "Ah..."

Skivan: "So, anyway, where are those Eevees?"

Raze: "I heard them about climbing this mountain outside..."

Skivan: "What? You could have stopped them..."

Raze: "Their original plan was to dig their way through."

Skivan: "You are Grievald are troublesome... You both haven't changed a bit..."

Raze: "They're a rescue team. I don't want to stop them from feeling the excitement of an adventure..."

Skivan: "You stopped them from digging their way through..."

Raze: "Yes, but that's because they don't know what lies inside..."

Skivan: "We'll have this talk on hold. I need to go and fetch them."

Skivan walked out of the cave, but before he could fly away, Raze called him and tells him that it was nice to see him again, and Skivan says the same and then flies off. Raze then just sighed and closes his eyes.
Meanwhile, Mark and the others are taking a break on the mountain. Joseph looked below and saw their herd.

Joseph: "Wow... We're so high up. Everyone in the herd look like ants from here..."

Krystal: "Ants?"

Mark and the others were unfamiliar with the word, and Krystal was curious enough to know what it meant, so she went beside him and looked below.

Krystal: "Um... That's the herd, right?"

Joseph: "Yep..."

Krystal: "So, where's that ant or ants you were talking about?"

Joseph: "What? Oh, right... What I meant was the herd is too small from up here..."

Mark: "Hey, you two! Get back here!"

Joseph and Krystal went to the others.

Mark: "I don't want you guys to fall!"

Joseph: "We didn't..."

Steven notices a crack on the ground they were on, and it was getting bigger. Steven tried to tell this to them, but Mark and Joseph were busy arguing about Mark being too careful. Soon, Rose notices the cracks on the ground where Joseph and Mark were, and exclaimed to move away, but before the two Eevees knew what she was trying to say, the ground collapses and they fell inside the cave screaming. They landed on a thick snow which gave them a soft landing. Joseph quickly knew where they were while the others wondered how or why an icy atmosphere is inside a mountain. Seconds after, from a distance, snow came up from the ground, as if there was an explosion, and a Froslass flew out from the snow and towards the opening where the Eevees fell through. They were surprised to see the Froslass quickly trying to escape, but when the ice POKéMON was about to reach the opening, a barrier blocked it's way and it threw the ice POKéMON back to the snowy ground. Joseph then tells them that the Froslass they just saw must be the same Froslass from the story the old Golem told them. The Froslass, enraged, once again flew towards the opening, but the same thing happened and she was thrown back. Angered, she threw an icicle spear at the opening, and the attack went through the opening. The herd of Eevees were surprised after an ice spear landed on the ground. Grievald was surprised to witness what happened and quickly looked at the top of the mountain, and sees a Pidgeot flying near the walls of the mountain.

Froslass: "How dare you... How dare you encage me in this mountain! HAAA!"

And she flew towards the opening but she was just thrown back. A Pidgeot landed near the hole after witnessing the Froslass was trying to get through.

Skivan: "This is not good."

And he quickly flew down after convincing himself that he can't fit himself through the hole. Meanwhile, Krystal and Steven were shivering because of fear. Joseph is covering the two young Eevees with snow while Mark and Rose are trying to find a way out. Soon, Mark notices a small path heading towards the next "floor" on a corner of the cave. He quickly tells them about the path, but Krystal and Steven were too scared to move. Soon, the Froslass once again landed on the ground hard after trying to get through the opening. She then floats on the air, exhausted, and was still enraged by anger. Froslass spots the Eevees and quickly flew towards them. Rose informs them about the Froslass and she and Mark ran away in opposite directions. Joseph quickly tells the hidden Eevees not to move and he quickly dodges the Froslass and ran away.

Froslass: "I'll kill you! I'll kill you!"

And she quickly flew towards Joseph, failing to notice the hidden Eevees under her. Steven sighed, but Krystal tells him not to make a sound. Joseph uses a Double Kick attack, but it had no effect and Froslass counters with a hard Headbutt and Joseph was thrown in the air. A thought hit him about how unfair ghosts are that they can hurt him but he can't hurt them. Froslass does a follow-up attack with an icicle spear and threw it at Joseph who was still on the air, but he manages to break it with an Iron Tail attack. He landed on his feet and witnesses Rose throwing a Shadow Ball attack, but Froslass dodges it. A thought came into his mind that a Shadow Ball attack is a ghost-type move, and ghosts are weak against ghost, at least, in the games, he thought. Froslass threw and icicle spear at Rose, but she quickly dodges it. He saw Mark and shouts to use Shadow Ball. Rose overheard what he shouted and quickly threw another Shadow Ball attack, and Mark threw one as well. While the Froslass was kept busy, Joseph ran towards the Froslass to try an Iron Tail attack, but he disregarded it after seeing the Froslass was so high up, and instead, he just ran under her towards where Krystal and Steven were. Froslass saw him and after dodging a Shadow Ball, she quickly uses an Ice Beam attack at Joseph, but he quickly ran left towards Mark to dodge the attack. After she stopped the Ice Beam attack, she was hit by Mark's Shadow Ball, and followed by Rose's Shadow Ball attack. Joseph then decided to take the role as the one to distract Froslass, and so he ran towards the Froslass once again. However, this time, the Froslass unleashes a number of icicle spears and threw all of those at Joseph. He quickly saw these and tried his best to dodge each one successfully, but then the Froslass quickly flew in front of him. He was stunned to see the Froslass too close, and he saw her preparing an Ice Beam. Things went slow on Joseph, for a lot of things were on his mind. He don't know which direction to run, he heard Krystal shouting to run away, Rose was behind Froslass who was preparing a Shadow Ball, Mark was running towards Joseph to try and save him, but in a flash, Joseph was frozen solid.
Later, Joseph found himself in the darkness. He's shivering because he's feeling cold. He calls out his Eevee friends' names, but no one is answering him. He suddenly heard an explosion from somewhere. He looked around, but he could see nothing but blackness. He shouts their names once again, but no one is responding. He's cold, too cold for him to handle. He sat down and stayed put, eyes looking around, hoping to see someone, anyone. He then heard another explosion, and suddenly, he heard a glass broke. He can't tell where it's coming from, or what is happening. Suddenly, he heard a faint voice calling his name. He quickly looked around, and after a few seconds, he heard it again. He tried to stand up, but he suddenly couldn't move his body. He tried to move it, but gave up. He heard the voice again, which then gave him strength to try and move his numbed body, but to no avail. He took a deep breath and tried his best, and suddenly, he heard a very loud ice breaking and his surroundings suddenly flashed in white.

Krystal: "Joseph!"

Joseph broke himself free from a frozen state. He was shivering from coldness, so Krystal quickly went near him to help him feel warm, and she invited Steven, who was also with them, to help. Meanwhile, Mark and Rose were busy attacking the Froslass with Shadow Balls, and evading her icicle spears. Krystal, Steven and Joseph slowly walked towards the path Mark saw earlier. Joseph told them that he's feeling fine now, even though he's still shivering a little, and wants to help the other two, but Steven and Krystal didn't want him to risk his life again. He stops walking and tells them that they'll go ahead, for he really wants to help out, but Steven tells him that Mark wants the three of them to go. Krystal then tells him that he can't perform a Shadow Ball and asks him what he'll do. Steven then asks him if he wants to be a bother to both Mark and Rose. Joseph didn't answer and looks at the two Eevees having a hard time defeating Froslass.

Joseph: "It feels wrong to leave them..."

And he is looking at the surroundings, figuring out what he can do to help out. He then saw Mark threw a Shadow Ball, but Froslass manages to slap it with one of her arms, causing the Shadow Ball to bounce away.

Joseph: "She deflected the Shadow Ball?"

Steven: "That Froslass has been able to deflect some while you were, well, frozen..."

Rose threw a Shadow Ball, but the Froslass manages to deflect it, but then she was hit by Mark's Shadow Ball from behind her. Joseph had a plan, but wasn't sure if it'll work, but he needs to help them, and so, after taking a few deep breaths, he quickly ran towards Mark and Rose. Krystal and Steven shouted to stop, but he replied to launch Shadow Balls at him.

Steven: "What!?"

Joseph: "Just do it!"

Joseph stopped and took aim at the floating Froslass, and then looked back and saw Steven already charging a Shadow Ball. He then starts to perform an Iron Tail attack. Steven was hesitant to fire the Shadow Ball, but he saw Joseph showing signs to launch the attack, and so he fires.

Joseph: "Just like baseball..."

The Shadow Ball was approaching him, and a recollection suddenly came into his mind about him and his hometown friends playing baseball on the beach with a stick and a plastic ball. With his tail, he strikes the Shadow Ball, and he manages to hit it and it's now heading towards the Froslass. Froslass saw this and tried to deflect it, but to no avail.

Joseph: "A homerun!"

Joseph smiled and thought that the added force from the Iron Tail must have made it difficult to deflect the move afterwards, plus, the Froslass was injured more. He then looked back at Steven and Krystal and was surprise to see another Shadow Ball heading straight at him, but he manages to dodge the attack.

Joseph: "I wasn't ready yet!"

He shouted angrily at them.

Krystal: "Oops..."

Froslass: "Why you..."

Mark and Rose welcomed him back. Froslass threw icicle spears at Joseph, but he manages to dodge them. Mark then threw a Shadow Ball attack, but the Froslass dodges it, and suddenly, she was hit by another fast Shadow Ball from Joseph. She was getting exhausted and her vision is starting to blur. The Froslass sees Rose who just threw a Shadow Ball at her. She tried to deflect it, but to no avail. After she was hit, she was thrown back and towards the snowy ground. Mark and Joseph couldn't believe that they defeated the Froslass. Joseph and the others went near the outlaw. Before she closed her eyes, she mumbles the time after the cave-in, where she slowly approaches the dead body of the Rapidash she killed. The bloody scene she witnessed made her remember her beloved human friend who took care of her, but one day, her human friend was suddenly killed by a group of knights. The scene has driven her mad and instantly killed the knights with her Ice Beam. Afterwards, she finally closed her eyes after she took her last breath.

In Mount Ice, a Golem, a Pidgeot and an Espeon are in front of the large rocks and boulders that blocked the path. Golem used Rock Blast, not to throw boulders, but to magnet the boulders to him and then puts them down on the corner of the cave.

Old Golem: "I still think this is a bad idea..."

After a few boulders were removed, they can now see some ice coming through. The Golem stopped for a moment.

Espeon: "Keep going..."

Old Golem: "Think about this, Grievald..."

Grievald: "I have, Raze. I have..."

Raze: "Tsk... Skivan...!"

Skivan: "I tried reasoning with Grievald while we were on our way here, so don't get any ideas that I did nothing to change his mind..."

Raze: "I can't believe this..."

The Golem continued removing the boulders, and soon, he reopened the path. A cool breeze greeted them as they slowly walked inside. The three POKéMON were surprised to see a Froslass lying on the snowy ground.

Raze: "Could this be...!?"

Grievald: "Without a doubt... This is Ice..."

Skivan: "She doesn't possess any grave physical injuries..."

Raze: "I can't believe those youngsters defeated Ice..."

Grievald was looking around and saw a small path on the wall of the cave. He thought that they must have already continued to work on their way. Skivan also looked at the surroundings and notice some berries scattered everywhere, but he didn't bother to ask about it. Raze then called Grievald's attention.

Raze: "So, what will we do with this?"

Grievald once again looked around, saw something on the other corner of the cave and went near it. The Golem and the Pidgeot followed the Espeon. Grievald stopped in front of a rock that is shaped like a tombstone.

Grievald: "A proper grave would suffice..."

Raze: "An outlaw has no right to earn a 'proper grave'..."

Skivan: "What are you looking at, my friend?"

Grievald: "... Our leader's grave..."

Skivan and Raze were surprised to hear what Grievald told them. They asked the Espeon if the Froslass buried their friend here.

Grievald: "... Enough reason why I want to give her a proper grave..."

Skivan and Raze: "..."

Meanwhile, the five Eevees are still working their way to the peak through the darkness of the mountain. Mark was leading the way with a torch on his mouth to give them some light, and Joseph was behind the group, also carrying a torch on his mouth. Joseph can't help but stare at the Zubats and Golbats asleep on the walls and ceiling of the cave's 'floor' they were in. Krystal and Steven were busy whispering to each other while Rose is behind Mark. Later, Mark stops and sees another path towards another floor ahead of them. He looked at them and then he walked towards the path. The others just followed him. Krystal and Steven can't help but talk about how dark and creepy the mountain is. Soon, they reached the small path spiralling on the wall of the cave leading to the next 'floor' of the mountain. Before they started to go, Mark looked at them again just to see that no one got left behind, and they proceed. While they were walking, Rose went beside Mark and started a conversation about the Froslass. Krystal and Steven overheard their topic, and started to talk about it as well. Joseph can't help but overhear Krystal and Steven talking. Soon, when they reached the next floor, Steven asked her about what the Froslass said about humans. This made him eager to hear what they're talking. Steven tells her that he can't believe that a human had a heart of taking care of a POKéMON. Krystal agrees, for they kept hearing that humans were heartless. Steven wondered if the Froslass became an outlaw because of the sadness and anger of losing someone she cared about, but Krystal couldn't give him an answer. Steven then tells her that maybe not all humans are murderers. Krystal just nods her head, a sign that she agrees, and she looked at Joseph for a moment, and then at Steven. After, the two young Eevees were silent. Mark and Rose were still having their conversation while Mark's looking ahead, trying to find another path. Joseph then started to feel nervous. He's thinking about what would they do when they found Xatu, and she tells them about him being human. The more he thought about it, the more nervous he gets, so he just took a deep breath and tried not to mind about it. Krystal asked Steven about what would he do if he meets a human, and Steven wondered about it for a while. After a few seconds, he just tells her that he doesn't know what would he do. Rose overheard Krystal's question, so she looked at them and tells them that if she meets a human, she would try and sense if the human poses a threat, and it would also depend on the situation. Mark just looked at her for a moment, and then focuses on the path ahead. Steven and Krystal thought about what she said as Rose looked ahead. Mark then spots the path that'll lead them to the next 'floor' on his right, and so he turns right and went straight towards it while everyone followed him. Krystal then looked at Joseph and asked him about what will he do if he meets a human. Steven looked at him and saw him giving her an angry look, for he couldn't talk because of the torch on his mouth. Steven teased him that he can't talk while Mark can with a torch on their mouths. Krystal just smiled at him. Later, they reached the path. Mark stops and puts the torch standing on the ground.

Steven then puts the bag on the ground while Joseph puts the torch standing on the ground. Steven was surprised to see that the bag only has two Oran Berries left. Krystal was shocked to hear him, Rose tells him not to fool around while Mark teased him that he must have ate it all while walking, but Steven tells them that he didn't ate any of it ever since they started climbing the mountain. Joseph then guessed that the berries must have fallen off the bag during their fight with the Froslass. Rose agreed to his reason while Steven apologizes to them.

Joseph: "Hey, hey, don't worry. It's not your fault..."

Steven: "B-but..."

Joseph: "Well, we can divide each berry into two, anyway."

Mark: "Good idea!"

Rose: "But there will be four pieces if we divide it."

Joseph: "Yep. I'm still a bit full, so, yeah..."

Krystal: "You won't have some?"

Joseph: "You guys looked exhausted, anyway, and as I said, I'm still a bit full."

Rose: "Okay then..."

Mark: "Are you sure?"

Joseph: "Divide it and eat it before I decide to eat all of it!"

Steven: "Wow! A great way to make us eat these... Hahah!"

And while the four Eevees divide the berries, Joseph turned his back on them so he can't see them eating. He decided to stare at the surroundings as far as the torch's light can reach and notices the sleeping Zubats and Golbats on the ceiling. He then wondered how a Zubat can hang themselves on the ceiling with their pointed feet. He looked at them after hearing Mark telling everyone to continue their mission. Mark picks up his torch and leads the way. Joseph bit the torch, but before he could remove it, Steven handed him half of his share of the berry. Steven then tells him to take and eat it, but before Joseph could say anything, Steven quickly puts it in Joseph's mouth with his paw and laughed. Krystal saw this and laughed as well. Joseph had no choice so he ate it and thanked Steven, and after, he pick up the torch. Rose then called them to catch up, and the three rushed to them. After they reached the 'floor', they were greeted by a chilly wind and right in front of them was the exit. Steven and Krystal smiled and ran ahead while Rose was waiting for Mark to put out the fire of the torch with his front paws. Joseph puts the torch on the ground and puts some rocks on the fire. Rose saw what Joseph did and she was impressed. After Mark finally puts out the fire, they heard Steven calling them to hurry up. Mark ran towards them while Rose just walked. Joseph started to feel nervous again, but he just took a deep breath and walked towards the exit. Outside, he saw them standing and gazing on the white, fluffy clouds.

Mark: "Wow..."

Krystal: "It's beautiful..."

Steven: "This is amazing...!"

Rose: "So that's what clouds look like up close, huh? Cool."

Joseph looked around and saw the Xatu on their left. He informs them about it and they all decided to approach the Xatu. All of them stopped a few distance away from the Xatu. Mark then looked at Joseph, and then approaches the Xatu. Unknown to them that a Pidgeot silently landed in front of the exit and on its talons is an Espeon.

Pidgeot: "So they're successful with their mission."

Espeon: "Indeed. Such young yet strong and dedicated Eevees."

Pidgeot: "Is it necessary for us to be here, Grievald?"

Grievald: "..."

Mark has been trying to talk to the Xatu, but the bird POKéMON is just blankly staring at the clouds. Suddenly, the Xatu showed signs of surprise. Espeon then asked the Pidgeot that it's time for them to leave. Later, Xatu turned her head at Mark.

Xatu: "I'm sorry. I was busy meditating, but I heard Grievald telling me to disable the spell I casted on this mountain..."

Mark: "Grievald? You mean our chief?"

The others then approaches them.

Xatu: "Ah...! So you know him. You see, we psychic types can communicate through our psychic senses..."

Joseph: "Really...? Then he probably already knew what happened to Froslass..."

Steven: "Huh? But how can he?"

Rose: "Let's not mind that for now..."

Steven: "Oh, okay..."

Joseph: "Anyway, hello. I'm Joseph and these are---"

Xatu: "Ah... Joseph... Hello to you, too."

Joseph: "Er, yes, hi, and these are my friends. This is Ma---"

Xatu: "So you're Mark? Hello to you."

Mark: "Um... Hi?"

Joseph: "Er... This is---"

Xatu: "Oh, hello Rose."

Rose: "Hello."

Joseph: "And, er..."

Xatu: "Krystal, hello to you."

Krystal: "Hi there."

Joseph: "And---"

Xatu: "Hello Steven."

Steven: "Hello!"

Joseph: "..."

Xatu: "So, you youngsters killed Ice?"

Joseph: "Well, we didn't really kill her..."

Mark: "Yep! We defeated an outlaw!"

Joseph was surprised that Mark is telling the Xatu that they were the ones responsible for her death, but after seeing the others' expressions, he thought that it could only be natural for them as rescue teams to 'kill' outlaws, but he can't accept that simple fact, but decided to keep it to himself.

Xatu: "Outstanding! Such young and brave Eevees you are!"

Mark: "Yep! We really a---oh right... We came here to see you."

Xatu: "I see."

Rose: "Actually, our friend here wants to see you."

Rose looked at Joseph and saw him looking at Krystal with a worried expression on his face. She didn't bother to ask, but instead, she called his attention and tells him to talk to the Xatu. Rose then asked everyone else to give them some privacy, but Mark doesn't want to. Rose bit his right ear and dragged him away while Steven followed them. Krystal looked at Joseph and then followed them. Joseph sighed and looked at the Xatu.

Joseph: "First, your name's Luvian, right?"

Luvian: "Why yes. Yes I am."

Joseph: "Well, er, Ms. Luvian..."

Luvian: "Oh, no, don't call me 'miss'... I already have thirteen children, all grown up and strong and independent Xatus. I even have grandchildren."

Joseph: "Oooooooookayyyyyy..."

Luvian: "Just call me Luvian or Xatu. Whatever you find that fits."

Joseph: "Well, okay then."

Luvian: "But you know, you have an odd wind swirling around you. It's very different from the other POKéMON I felt, even from other Eevees... Tell me, what are you...?"

Joseph couldn't take the courage to tell the Xatu, and after a few seconds he asked her a question instead about if she can see his past. He explained that he woke up on the shore, but couldn't remember what happened before that. The Xatu didn't answer his question, but instead tells him about another Eevee who also told him the same story a few years ago, and just like him, that Eevee also had an odd wind around him. Joseph already heard about it from Grievald, and thought that it would probably be his dad, but before he could say anything, he notice the Xatu turned around and looked at the far distance, and sees two armies of humans and POKéMON in different sides. He was surprised to see the two large armies, who are about to clash. This brought back his theory that he must be in the ancient times of the POKéMON world, and in front of his eyes is proof that he really is. Mark and the others overheard Joseph's gasp and wondered what was wrong, and so they approached him and saw the two armies. The Xatu told them that it has been almost a year since the last time she saw the last clash of the armies. Steven was curious and asked why they are fighting, and Xatu sighed and answered his question that they are wasting their lives just to claim the other's territory. Mark exclaimed that they're no different from the Tauroses that drove them away from their previous home, but Xatu didn't agree that the human armies and the Tauroses are similar. Krystal asked why, but Joseph answered her question that humans will not leave any of their enemies alive. The other Eevees gasps while Xatu agrees, but soon, Xatu spots a small human child walking towards the center of the two opposing armies. Joseph then notices the child and informs the others about it, and were all surprised.
The small female child just reached the very center of the armies' battlefield. She quickly kneeled down, closed her eyes and puts her hands together and started to pray. Soon, a woman in her late 20's rushed towards the girl and is trying to take her out of the battlefield, but the little girl didn't want to leave. The woman later turned around to try and ask for help from the other humans who took shelter inside caves, but was surprised to see that some of them were already kneeling down and praying while the others were still slowly walking towards them, probably to pray as well. She then turned to the child, kneeled down to see her face. She sees the girl and overhears her prayers for peace. She cried and started to pray instead.
Soon, however, in each army arrives a soldier who seemed to be holding a higher rank, and gave them the command to run and strike, but neither of the two armies took a step forward. The five Eevees were amazed that the armies lost their will to fight.

Krystal: "Amazing...!"

Luvian: "Yes, it is. This is the first time that those humans grew hearts."

Mark: "...hmf..."

Luvian: "It is probably due to those human villagers in between them..."

Joseph: "I guess they realized that what they're doing has no meaning..."

Rose: "It would seem so."

Mark: "Whatever... Humans will always be evil no matter what they do!"

Joseph was surprised to hear what Mark just said. He saw Mark marching off towards the cave where they came out.

Mark: "Joseph! Hurry up with your business with Xatu so we can leave!"

Joseph: "Uh..."

And Mark entered the cave. Rose sighed and followed him after telling everyone that she'll try and calm him. Joseph then asked the Xatu if she can help him about knowing what happened to him before Krystal found him on the shore. She puts her right wing on his head and asked him to close his eyes, and after doing so, she then closes her eyes and tries to see his past, but alas, after a few minutes, she moves her wing away from his head, and gives him a disappointed look on her face. The three Eevees already knew what it meant, so Steven slowly started to walk towards the cave. Krystal soon followed Steven, and Joseph was about to follow her as well when the Xatu asked him to stop and listen to what she's about to say.

Luvian: "Actually, young one, I did saw something..."

Joseph: "Huh?"

Luvian: "I just thought that it would be best if you'll be the only one to hear about it."

Unknown to the two POKéMON that Krystal and Steven were eavesdropping behind the caev's walls, sticking one of their ears out to listen.

Luvian: "I saw that you were unconsciously falling from the dark skies of thunder and lightning, heading towards the violent rage of the sea."

Joseph: "Somehow, I can't recall any of what you just said..."

Luvian: "Also... I captured a glimpse of your memory before you were falling..."

Luvian took a deep breath and stared at the armies of humans and POKéMON, who were already heading back to each of their empire.

Luvian: "I saw a human child in front of steel gates of a very large structure..."

Joseph was surprised to hear her words. Luvian asked, if by any chance, if he was that human child she saw, and he confirmed it. Luvian wasn't as surprised as he was to hear his confirmation, for she tells him that another Eevee she met a few years ago was also like him having memories of being human. Joseph asked if she saw anything else, but she just waved her head and said she saw nothing more. Joseph was disappointed, but then he asked her if she knew what was the other Eevee's name. She puts her right wing on her beak while she's trying to recall his name.

Luvian: "It was such a long time ago... Let me think..."

Joseph: "Was it 'Jayson'...?"

Luvian: "Jayson... Hm... Oh...! Oh! Yes! Yes, you're right!"

Joseph: "Really!? Are you sure!?"

Luvian: "Yes, I'm certain."

This confirmed it that it was really his dad, or at least, that's what Joseph is thinking right now. He quickly asked her if she knew where she is now, but unfortunately, she doesn't know. He was disappointed, but at least he now has something to accomplish other than looking for a way to get back to his world.
He thanked the Xatu, who then stretched her wings and flew off towards one of the two armies to witness what will happen next.
Meanwhile, Krystal and Steven were having a conversation about what they just heard about Joseph. Steven couldn't believe everything he just heard, but Krystal is asking him to keep his secret to theirselves.

Steven: "Aw... Why should we do that?"

Krystal: "Think about it... If he really was human, the herd will send him away..."

Steven: "Oh, yeah... You're right, but..."

Krystal: "Promise me...!"

Steven: "So you knew about him being human all along?"

Krystal: "Promise me!"

Steven: "Okay, okay! I won't tell anyone... Sigh..."

Unknown to them that their voices were echoing through the lower 'floor' where Mark and Rose were, and Mark heard everything, while Rose was busy scratching two rocks together to make a fire for their torches. Soon, Joseph entered the cave and saw the two Eevees talking.

Steven: "Oh, hi Joseph!"

Joseph: "You were eavesdropping, weren't you?"

Steven: "What! Of course not!"

Joseph: "If you're going to lie, at least put some effort into it..."

Krystal: "We're sorry..."

Joseph: "No, it's fine. So, Steven, now that you know about me being, well, human, what are you gonna do?"

Steven: "Huh?"

Steven gave some thought about it for a moment.

Steven: "Well, first I thought of letting the herd know about it, but Krystal here slapped me some sense, so... I guess I'll keep it as a secret! Hahah."

Joseph: "That wasn't really what I meant, though..."

Steven: "Huh?"

Joseph: "What I was trying to ask was, what will you think of me now that you know who I really am... or was...?"

Steven: "Um..."

Suddenly, Mark and Rose came back with two torches already lit. They put it standing on the ground.

Rose: "What's keeping you guys?"

Steven: "Just having some conversation... Oh, hey, Rose!"

Rose: "What is it?"

Steven: "We were just having a weird conversation about 'what if Joseph was a human before', so..."

Krystal was a bit confused while Joseph smiled, thinking that Steven really pulled a nice lie, but unfortunately, Mark already knew and wasn't falling for it.

Steven: "What will you do if Joseph was a human before?"

Rose: "That's a stupid question..."

Steven: "Aw, c'mon..."

Rose: "Then I would still treat him like how I treat him before and now. Human or not, Joseph is Joseph, and nothing else matters. Can we go now?"

Mark didn't say anything. He just quickly bit a torch and removed it from the ground and walked first. Steven and Krystal followed him while they're talking quietly about why Mark is suddenly in a bad mood. Rose was about to bite the other standing torch when Joseph suddenly asked her that he'll carry it. Rose smiled and agreed. After he got the torch, Rose went ahead and Joseph soon followed.

They finally reached the 'floor' where they fought the Froslass, and the ice in the surroundings were already starting to melt. Krystal and Steven were already feeling tired from all those walking, and so was Joseph, but he's trying his best not to show that he's tired, while Krystal and Steven sighed in relief. Mark was still in a very bad mood and just tossed the torch on the wet ground, and went to the opening of the cave. This annoyed Rose and she quickly followed him while calling out his name, but Mark wasn't looking back nor stopping to wait for her. Joseph asked Krystal and Steven about why Mark is acting that way, but Steven just told him not to mind the grumpy friend of theirs. Joseph tells them that he's worried about him, but Krystal just smiled at him and says not to worry too much, but Joseph sighed and tells her that THAT is the reason why he's worried. The three of them then started heading towards the exit. Steven was so happy that they finished their mission and can't wait to receive rescue missions now that they have proven themselves to be a great team. Krystal agrees while Joseph just smiled. After they exited the cave, they saw the old Golem asleep under the Oran Tree nearby. Joseph gazes on the sky and notices that it was already starting to get dark. He informs them about it and, instead of heading back, Steven decided to pick some berries for dinner, so he asked for their help to gather some. Krystal then tells them that Mark must be hungry, hence why he's grumpy, and the two just laughed as they started picking some berries nearby. Joseph then joined their little berry-picking activity.
Meanwhile, Mark just entered the forest where they were training Joseph, and Rose just made him stop by running and stopping in front of him.

Rose: "Hey, what the heck is your problem? You've been quiet and annoyed for quite a while and I wanna know what's bothering you."

Mark: "It's none of your concern..."

Rose: "Speak it out!"

Mark: "And why should I?"

Rose: "Because I wanna know!"

Mark just turned his head away from her in annoyance.

Mark: "I told you... it's none of..."

Rose: "I am concerned about you! That's why I wanna know!"

Mark then quickly faced her with an angry look.

Mark: "It's because of that human!"

Rose: "Oh, so I thought. It's because of what happened?"

Mark: "That, that's not it!"

Rose: "Admit it that you're still angry towards humans!"

Mark: "Why bother asking me if you already know!"

Rose: "For me to be sure, but really, get over it!"

Mark: "And why should I? You sound as if you want me to abandon my parents' memories!"

Rose: "That's not what I---"

Mark: "Then what is!? Those murderers killed my parents right in front of my eyes! And you are telling me to get over it!? Your parents were also killed by those bastards, but I'm unlike you who already abandoned---"

Rose: "Don't you dare! You don't know me that much! I loved my parents so much th---"

Mark: "Then why are you so forgiving to hu---"

Rose: "Because they're all different from each other! Not all of them are murderers! You saw it with your own eyes on top of---"

Mark: "What I saw was nothing but a lie! Humans are the same and they will never change!"

Rose: "Wake up, Mark!"

Mark: "I am and I just realized that talking to you is meaningless! That's why I don't want to talk about it, especially with you!"

Rose: "Oh, so that's how it goes!? I was just trying to help ease your pain, but here you are, still locked with your memories of your past!"

Unknown to them that they already summoned a crowd of their herd of Eevees, quietly listening to their argument. Steven, Krystal and Joseph just arrived, carrying a bag-full of berries, where they were surprised to witness their argument. Their argument continued until their talk went about Joseph.

Mark: "You wouldn't understand, and what's worse it that I've been with a human all along!"

Rose: "What are you talking about, Mark?"

Joseph was stunned, and Krystal and Steven quickly looked at him with a worried face. Joseph looked at the two worried Eevees, and from their faces, he can tell that Mark must have overheard them on top of the mountain and now he fears that he'll tell everyone about him.

Mark: "What's worst is that I helped 'him'! I helped a stinkin' human!"

Rose: "Talk some sense, Mark!"

Mark: "I'm talking about Joseph!"

Rose: "What!?"

Mark: "Yes, he's human! Yes, he was human! He fooled me, and he fooled us all!"

Rose: "Even if that's true, you don't have proof---"

Mark: "I heard them about him being human when we were still atop Mount Ice, Rose! He knew, and Steven and Krystal knew!"

Rose: "And so what if he is or was human! He's not like the 'human' you are angry at!"

Mark: "He's not like that now, but oh, you'll see! He'll ki---"

Steven: "Enough! Enough!"

Steven shouted while crying. Mark and Rose were surprised to hear his voice, and they were even more surprised to see the crowd behind them. Steven ran in between his two arguing friends and begged them to stop. Joseph and Krystal ran towards the crying Eevee. Mark stared at Joseph while he took a step back away from him, and Joseph just looked at him, and then at the crowd, who were starting to whisper about him whether he really was human or not. He then later saw Grievald, who was just looking down on the ground. His eyes started to shed some tears, because now, he's about to lose his newly found home in the world of POKéMON. He looked at the angry Mark.

Joseph: "Mark, you've made your point... Fine, if you wish then I'll leave..."

Krystal, Rose and Steven were surprised to hear his words.

Joseph: "But I beg of you... Don't shove your friends like this..."

Joseph paused for a moment, waiting for Mark's response, but Mark didn't said a word, instead, he just stared at the ground.

Joseph: "Mark, the only reason why I didn't tell you, and everyone else, was because I was afraid... And for that, I apologise..."

Mark: "Tch..."

Joseph: "But please, before I go, treat your friends like treasures, and please think it through... that not all humans are the same..."

Mark is still not looking at him. Joseph took a deep breath, looked at his friends for the last time, at least that's what he thought, and then at the herd, and then at Grievald, and after, he quickly ran away from them. Krystal, Steven and Rose called out his name, shouting not to leave, but Joseph ran as fast as he can, away from the safety of the territory of the Eevees.
The forest was full of tall trees and it was already starting to get dark. He could no longer clearly see his environment as he was running through it with teary eyes. He was starting to get tired but he wasn't planning to stop, not until he reaches the other side of the forest. The chilly air was starting to get through his fur, and leaves and twigs were rubbing against his body, and scratches him in the process, and soon, a twig scratches his rescue badge off of his chest, but he didn't mind any of these. He just kept on running. Soon, he can finally see the end of the forest. He can finally see the evening sky ahead of the trees, and when he finally exited the forest, he noticed that he was no longer stepping on any land. He quickly looked back and saw that the edge of the forest was a cliff, and soon, he started falling. It wasn't a long cliff, but it was enough to knock him out unconscious after he landed on the ground.
In the land of the battlefield, the ground was dark, even in daylight, and it was barren land and full of broken armor, swords and shattered wood. Joseph was the only POKéMON in the area, unconscious.

Everything was all but a mere dream now... I remember when I was ten years old... My dad and my mom and I used to live peacefully in our home near the sea, where I always go with my dad to cast our nets to fish so we can earn ourselves some money. It wasn't much, but it was enough for us to eat three times a day. Those days of happiness are no more... One day, my dad received a letter from a friend of his who was now earning so much in the city. He was invited to work there, and he was so happy, that finally, we can live a nicer life when he starts to earn much much more, but of course, my mom was worried about the unknown. My parents talked about it for a few minutes, and they soon agreed to take the opportunity. My dad packed his stuff that evening, for the next day, he'll take a bus to the city. That scene was heartbreaking... I didn't want my dad to go, but he needed to, and my mom and I needed to bear the pain...
Months went by and we received a letter that my dad died in an accident inside the building where he was working... That piece of paper brought us darkness into our lives. We didn't receive his body nor his ashes... Just a piece of paper that drove my mom to shed tears every single evening of our lives. We were poor, very very poor... Why are they treating us like this? What in the world did we ever do to suffer this pain?
I wanted to know the truth, that is why, at my early age, I worked hard as a fisherman, saving a few coins in secret, so one day, I can go to that city and find out what happened... It took me four long years to earn enough money for a back-and-forth bus ticket... During those four years of pain, we no longer received any news about dad. I left home in secret in hopes that my mom could forgive me... Now that I think about it, I added her pain when she finds out I left... But I promise to come back after I find the truth of what happened to dad. I rode the bus and when I got to the city, I asked the people I meet in the streets for directions, and finally, I arrived in front of the gate of the building where my dad used to work. The security guard approached me, and asked me of my intentions, and to hide it, I told him that I was invited to work there. He asked for the invitation letter, but I told him that the excitement made me forgot about it, and I was from a small fishing village. He then quickly asked for my bag to check what was inside, and then made me take the stuff I had from my pockets to see if I had anything, but the only thing I had with me was my spare money and the ticket, and inside my bag were just some cloth. That was good enough for him to let me enter the gates. He pointed at the sliding glass door, telling me that I should go and enter the building through it. After going through the glass door, I was approached by a man wearing a bluish polo shirt and black slocks. Before he could say something, I told him that I was here for work. He told me to go with him for a quick tour of the company. It was boring at first, until we got into a glass window where he said something about their ongoing experiment that an accident occured four years ago. I was about to ask what happened, but I thought that it might give away my efforts of getting inside. He then quickly asked me if I was interested to work, and I quickly answered 'yes'. He then gave me an option, whether I wanted to be a mail boy or a utility boy, and after giving some thought about it, I told him that I would like to be a utility boy, for it would mean to clean the floors and windows and anything, which also means that I could gain access to every room possible. After he took me to his office, answering his questions with made-up answers and signing some papers, I was hired.
That evening, almost all of the workers of the building already left home. It was my chance to sneak what was inside that room where the 'accident' happened, but when I got inside, I was surprised to see a scientist was still there. He saw me and asked if I was going to clean the room, and I said yes. He then gave me permission to clean the floors just as long as I won't touch anything, especially his paperworks. While I was cleaning, I was able to ask the scientist some questions about the accident, and he told me that he'll tell me what happened after he finishes his equations, and after a few minutes, he sighed in relief as he sits down on his chair, and then asked me if I was ready to listen while cleaning, and I said that I was.

Joseph: "Everything was indeed just a dream now..."

Joseph said after he woke up from a deep sleep. He looked around and saw himself with three sleeping Eeveelutions in an unknown den, much bigger than where Krystal lived. The Eeveelutions were circling a bonfire, which was just a few burned wood now. Something glittered on the walls of the den. He looked at it and he saw four rescue team badges were on the walls. While looking at the badges, he touches his chest to feel if his badge was still stuck on him, but he didn't feel the badge, but only his fur. Suddenly, he sees the Vaporeon in front of him waking up while yawning.

Vaporeon: "Oh? Joseph? Finally, you woke up."

Joseph: "Rose...?"

Rose: "You had us all worried."

Joseph: "Rose, why are---uh..."

Rose: "You can't believe how worried Krystal was..."

Joseph: "Krystal?"

He turns his head to his right and sees an Espeon sleeping beside him.

Rose: "You were out for almost two weeks, y'know... It's a relief to see you awake now..."

Joseph: "This...is Krystal...?"

Rose: "Yes. She's a 'beautiful' Espeon now, isn't she?"

Joseph: "Well, yea---wait a sec..."

He quickly faces Rose with a surprised face.

Joseph: "Why are you all here?"

Rose: "After you left us back in the forest, Krystal ran after you. From that point, I can tell that she's really attached to you."

Joseph: "A...ttached...?"

Rose: "M-hmm... Steven also ran after you."

Joseph: "And you as well...?"

Rose: "I had no choice. You three are my best friends."

Joseph: "What happened to Mark?"

Rose: "Who knows..."

Joseph: "Oh... What about the herd? Aren't they worried about the three of you?"

Rose: "We haven't heard anything about the heard ever since we decided to live here."

Joseph: "Oh... I'm... I'm sorry if I dragged you guys all the way here."

Rose: "We wanted to look for you, and ended up here. We hold no regrets."

She said while her cheeks blushed a bit. Joseph notices this and from that point, he knew she wasn't kidding. Later in the silence, she stood up and stretches her entire body. Joseph saw an egg behind her and he was surprised.

Joseph: "An egg?"

Rose: "Hm?"

Rose moved aside for a bit, uncovering another egg.

Joseph: "Two eggs? You bore two eggs?"

Rose's cheeks blushed once again as she nods her head. Later, the sun just started to rise and its rays slowly entered their den.

Joseph: "Wow... I mean... I was really out for quite a while..."

Rose agreed to what he said as she circles her body around her eggs and lied down on the ground covered with dried leaves and grass. A thought suddenly hit Joseph and he quickly stood up and looked at Krystal and around her. Rose laughed for a bit.

Rose: "Oh, don't worry. She doesn't have any...yet."

He then decided to sit down where he was lying down and faced Rose.

Joseph: "What do you mean by 'yet'...?"

Rose: "She likes you very much, Joseph, and you don't know how worried she was seeing you unconscious each day. When she wakes up, we'll leave you two alone."

His cheeks blushed. He thought to himself that he's too young to have a family of his own. He just sighed and then another thought came into his mind.

Joseph: "By the way... How did you guys evolve?"

Rose: "Hm? Oh... Well. During that night in the forest while we were looking for you, we jumped down the cliff after we found you. Steven accidentally landed on a thunderstone."

Joseph: "I see..."

Rose: "And then, last week, while I was wondering around the shore, I saw something glittering on the sand, and when I touched it, I turned into a Vaporeon. After that, Krystal evolved into an Espeon while she was picking some berries. I guess worrying about you made her evolve."

Joseph then looked at the sleeping Espeon. He thought to himself that he never see her in a romantic way, or anything related to that before, other than being friends, but somehow, she's very lovely to look at.

Rose: "And oh, you're now a Flareon, by the way..."

Joseph: "What...? I'm a Fla..."

He quickly tried his best to look at himself, and he indeed turned into a Flareon.

Joseph: "I... I am...! But... how...?"

Rose: "When we were still looking for you in the forest, something shined at the edge of it. And when we found you, you turned into a Flareon. I guess you landed on a Fire Stone."

He looked at his paws once more as Rose looks through their den's opening.

Rose: "We were used to be told not to get around this place..."

Joseph: "Huh?"

Rose: "The place where humans and POKéMON clash. Now it's starting to glow brighter than usual."

Joseph stood up and stared outside.

Joseph: "What do you mean?"

Rose: "The humans who used to wage war are finally at peace now. That news spread all throughout the lands. Some of the POKéMON are starting to walk around the place, and some are now claiming territory in a peaceful manner."

Joseph: "I see."

And he went back beside Krystal.

Rose: "Oh, by the way, Joseph, this little den and a little space outside are our territory now."

Joseph: "By the four of us?"

Rose: "Yes. Is something the matter?"

Joseph: "Nothing, really. Just as long as you won't make me the leader of our little herd..."

Rose: "Hahah. Yes, of course."

And both were silent for a while. Joseph was just staring at the Espeon and Rose just gazes outside. She then looks at the Flareon.

Rose: "Oh, by the way..."

Joseph: "Huh?"

Rose: "Krystal told us about you, though."

Joseph: "About me being...human?"

Rose: "Yes, and some other things."

Joseph: "Oh..."

Rose: "So, may I ask if you dreamed about what happened to you?"

Joseph: "Well, yeah, I have..."

Rose: "Please do tell me."

Joseph: "Sure but... That would be a little unfair to these sleeping beauties not to hear it..."

Rose chuckled and agreed to his reason. Joseph then went near her and asked if he can touch her eggs, and she agreed. Joseph then tells her how weird it is for mammals to lay eggs, for it's too different from his world, where mammals bore already-hatched offsprings, as how he explains it to her. Rose asks what mammals meant, and he just tells her that those are mammals who have fur just like them, but then he stared at her and tried to see if she does have fur, or scales. Rose then tells him that she has fine blue fur, built for swimming. He then went back beside the sleeping Espeon and then asked the Vaporeon what activities they'll be doing after the two sleeping Eeveelutions wake up, but she just teased him that she and Steven will leave the two of them alone to give them some private time. He just gives her an angry look.

Umbreon: "It's been nine days since I left the herd. I lived alone, in the darkness, training myself to the extreme, so that I can avenge my parents' death at the hands of those bastard human freaks."

An Umbreon was standing on the edge of a cliff, staring at the castle of humans from a far away distance. The sun was at its highest, but clouds are rolling by the sky. The Umbreon was shivering with anger. Suddenly, he heard flaps of wings and talons landing on the ground behind him. He looked back and saw a Pidgeot, a Noctowl and a Fearow, all three facing him.

Noctowl: "In the name of the Sky Rescuers, you outlaw, are under arrest!"

Umbreon: "Humf..."

Fearow: "You will stand no chance against the three of us!"

Pidgeot: "Quite."

The four POKéMON prepared themselves for battle. The Umbreon smiled at them, and then quickly jumped back, making him fall off the cliff. The three bird POKéMON were stunned to witness his suicidal act, but they quickly snapped back into their senses and flew after the outlaw. The Umbreon was sliding down the cliff, which was a bit inclined. He then noticed the Fearow's shadow covering him, and later, he sensed the Noctowl that was about to strike him from his side with its wing, performing a wing attack, but he quickly jumped up to dodge the owl POKéMON, heading towards the Fearow, who quickly used its beak to strike the Umbreon, but she missed after the Umbreon dodged her sharp beak with great acrobatics, and while on the air, he kicks the Fearow on it's belly, and he followed it with a very quick shadow ball strike, hitting the Fearow's head. Afterwards, he quickly lands on the edge of the cliff, still sliding down. The Fearow fell to the cliff's inclined walls and started to roll down unconscious. The Noctowl once again tried to perform a wing attack, this time, from the Umbreon's other side, but as soon as the owl POKéMON was about to land it's attack, the Umbreon jumped towards the owl POKéMON and unleashes it's sharp claws and rode on the owl POKéMON. While the Umbreon was on the Noctowl, he quickly charges a Shadow Ball, but before he could release the attack, something struck him from his side, freeing the owl POKéMON from his grip. He rolled down the cliff a few times before he got back on his feet. He looked around and saw the Pidgeot grabbing the Fearow to help it get back in the air, and in front of him was the Noctowl, once again was about to land another wing attack, but he quickly jumped over the passing POKéMON before the attack lands on him, and as soon as he lands and slides on the cliff, the Fearow was already back in the air. After he cursed a few words, the Fearow started flapping her wings fast and soon, sharp feathers came out, heading towards the sliding Umbreon, but before the feathers reached the outlaw, the three bird POKéMON stopped their hot pursuit of the outlaw after the huge trees blocked their chase. They already reached the foot of the cliff, covered by tall and thick trees. They had no choice but to go through the forest to hunt down the outlaw.
Meanwhile, the Umbreon was running away from his pursuers, and he wasn't scratched by the Fearow's sharp feather attack. He had a smile on his face, not because he escaped his pursuers, but because he enjoyed their battle. The Umbreon was now heading towards the castle, still too far away, but he's determined to get there, planning to stir some trouble now that he's all warmed up. Soon, while running through the forest, his smile quickly disappeared after he suddenly thought about when he was still an Eevee with his other Eevee friends. He thought about their names: Rose, Steven, and Krystal. He then suddenly recalls the other Eevee named Joseph, where his face quickly show anger.

Umbreon: "It's because of HIM that our lives were ruined!"

He then jumped over a small stream where a Stantler and a Furret were startled by a sudden Umbreon jumping over where they were drinking. And after he landed on the ground, he continued running through the forest.

Umbreon: "Just you wait... In time, you and I will meet. And when that time comes..."

The Umbreon finally exited the forest, and was now heading straight towards the castle, the castle of King Edward Luke Johto, which was not too far away now.
Meanwhile, inside the castle's tall walls, humans were scattered everywhere, busy with their lives. Some are buying fruits from a stall, small children were playing tag with their friends, while others were trying to sell their wares and vases. Small Pidgeys were hopping around the place while Rattatas were running around, scavenging for food. Knights in armor with their Growlithes and Houndours were patrolling the place.
The Umbreon suddenly reached the top of the castle's walls, and is looking straight down at the humans. The longer he gazes at the scene, the more his blood was boiling with fury. Soon, a small group of children noticed the Umbreon's presence and smiled as they were waving their hands at the POKéMON to say hello. The Umbreon just smiled and then charged a shadow ball. This confuses the children, and when the Umbreon strikes it's shadow ball at a fruit stand, the people were in shock and frightened as the fruit stand exploded. As the civilians ran away to safety, knights came towards the Umbreon. He laughed as he wondered how the knights can get him when he's high above them, but then he suddenly noticed that knights were already chasing after him on the top of the wall. The Umbreon quickly jumped towards the chaos, and while on the air, he quickly threw a shadow ball below him so he can create a small clearing where he can land safely. The knights below were startled and when the shadow ball exploded on the ground, the Umbreon landed and quickly ran around the place, throwing shadow balls to destroy the place, and killing some humans in the process.
At the edge of the forest, a Pidgeot, a Fearow and a Noctowl were quietly watching the castle, where black smoke was coming out from it, heading to the sky.

Fearow: "Are we just going to watch this sad scene?"

Noctowl: "We can't just go into human territory, Daina..."

Daina: "But it feels so wrong..."

Pidgeot: "Our friend, Herath, has a point, my dear Daina..."

Daina: "Skivan... You too, think that way?"

Skivan: "..."

Meanwhile, the Umbreon was cornered on a wall. He was surrounded by knights with their swords and with Houndooms and Arcanines, growling at him. The Umbreon has nowhere else to run, but even with this fact in mind, the Umbreon was still smiling, seemingly enjoying the whole thing. An Arcanine asked him to surrender, but he declined and suddenly charged a shadow ball and quickly launched it below the Umbreon's feet. A cloud of dust covered the place, and from it, the Umbreon rose from the cloud and was heading on the top of the wall using the force of the explosion, but before he could land, he quickly saw a huge pair of talons which was about to grab him. He managed to dodge the talons, but his face was scratched by the talon's sharp claws, scratching him from his left cheek towards the center of his forehead. The Pidgeot quickly turned around to try and grab the outlaw once again, but the Umbreon jumped off the wall, outside the castle, and after he landed on the sands, he quickly ran towards the forest, where the three bird POKéMON started chasing him again. Blood was dripping from his facial wound, but he didn't mind, for he had a great time. Soon, however, he reached the forest and quickly hid himself while the three bird POKéMON were having a hard time flying through the forest.

Umbreon: "Damn, I got wounded... This only means I need more training."

And after a few minutes of resting, he continued running through the forest.
Later, a Pelipper landed in front of a rescue mailbox near a den. A Jolteon and a Vaporeon were nearby, and after noticing the Pelipper putting a letter inside the mailbox, they approached the bird POKéMON.

Vaporeon: "Hey."

Jolteon: "Hello there!"

Pelipper: "Oh? Oh, hi! You must be the Eeveelutions, am I right?"

Vaporeon: "Yes, we are."

Suddenly, during their conversation, a Flareon came out from the den and after noticing the three POKéMON having a conversation, the Flareon decided to approach them.

Pelipper: "My, my, you look like a fine rescue team, yes!"

Flareon: "Rescue team...?

Pelipper: "Hm?"

The Pelipper faced him while the Jolteon was happy to see him and quickly ran towards him.

Jolteon: "So, Joseph, how'd it go?"

The Flareon quickly took a step away from the happy Jolteon while his cheeks were blushing.

Joseph: "I ah...! Erm..."

The Vaporeon chuckled as she approaches the two of them.

Vaporeon: "My my... Don't you look cute. Hahah."

Joseph: "You guys are embarrasing me..."

Pelipper: "Sounds like you guys are having a good time. Well, please excuse me. I need to deliver these to other rescue teams."

Joseph: "Oh, yes... About that..."

Joseph then quickly faces the Jolteon.

Joseph: "Hey Steven... Are we still a rescue team...?"

Pelipper: "Huh?"

Steven: "Huh? Of course! We still have our badges, so we're still an official rescue team."

Pelipper: "Well, I'm glad to hear that you're still a rescue team! Even if your region is finally enjoying peace, outlaws still need rescue teams, yes!"

The Pelipper then fixes himself and bows at them, and after, he excuses himself and flew off. The Vaporeon then tells them that she'll go back to the den to check on their Espeon friend. Steven was teasing Joseph, but even though he's annoyed by him, he decided to try his best to ignore him as he checks the letter the Pelipper sent them. Steven then stopped teasing him and went near him so he can see the letter as Joseph was opening it. The letter was written in POKéMON format, and Joseph couldn't understand a single line of it, so he asked Steven to read it out loud for him. After he teased him about not being able to read, he took the letter and started reading it. While reading it, Steven was surprised, but continued reading it, and after he finished reading the letter, he gave it back to the Flareon.

Joseph: "So...? What was it about?"

Steven: "Erm... I think we should go back to the den, so they can hear about it."

Joseph: "Sounds fair."

And after he bites the letter, they both went inside the den. Inside, the Vaporeon was with her eggs, and she was approached by the Jolteon, who sat beside her after they rubbed their heads on each other. The Flareon sat beside the Espeon, who later kissed his left cheek with a lick. He felt a bit embarrassed as he puts his left paw on his left cheek, making him drop the letter from his mouth.

Joseph: "So... Can you tell us about it?"

Steven: "Sure!"

Espeon: "About what?"

Joseph: "Oh. It's about the letter a Pelipper sent us."

The Espeon looked at the letter on their nest and pointed at it, and the Jolteon nodded his head.

Espeon: "Oh. Then I'm willing to listen."

Joseph and the Espeon noticed Steven's serious expression. Joseph then took the letter and handed it to Steven.

Steven: "Okay you guys... The letter was a wanted letter."

Joseph: "A wanted letter, huh?

Steven: "It's about an outlaw: an Umbreon. He recently became a three-star outlaw."

Joseph: "A... three-star outlaw?"

Vaporeon: "An outlaw is ranked from one to five stars, depending on their actions, and a three-star is enough for a whole regional hunt on this outlaw."

Joseph: "Oh, wow... So an umbreon, huh?"

Steven: "M-hmm... It previously attacked a human civilization."

Joseph was a bit surprised to hear it. He thought to himself that he already knew who it was.

Steven: "Also, the Sky Rescuers gave him a scar on his face, but he managed to escape them."

Espeon: "The Sky Rescuers? That was the name of the rescue team of that Pidgeot, right?"

Vaporeon: "I believe so..."

Steven: "Yeah, I think it was, but here's the shocking part of the letter... The outlaw is Mark...!"

The Vaporeon and the Espeon were surprised to hear their friend's name. Joseph just sighed, for he thought right that it was indeed Mark. The Vaporeon and the Espeon couldn't believe it, but Joseph tells them that Mark's anger towards humans must have grew and changed him the way he is now. He then tells them not to hunt him down, for their friendship might distract their judgment on him. The Vaporeon agreed to his reason while the Espeon sighed in disbelief.

Joseph: "Anyway, as I said, let's not mind about it... for now, at least."

Steven: "I guess you're right..."

Vaporeon: "For now, we have our little Krystal to worry about."

Krystal: "Ahm..."

Both Krystal and Joseph blushed.

Joseph: "Rose..."

Rose and Steven just laughed. Joseph and Krystal then looked at each other and smiled.
Later that day, Krystal, Steven and Rose were all asleep. Joseph went out of the den to feel the fresh air as he gazes at the POKéMON around, seemingly having a great time, especially the young ones. He then thought about how weird it feels of becoming a dad soon. He wondered how will he act in front of his children. Suddenly, a series of questions came into his head. Has he finally accepted his faith that he could no longer return to his world? What about his dad? Will he be searching for him, if he really was, just like him, turned into a POKéMON? If he does decide to search for a way to return, or to go and look for his dad, where will he even start? After a moment, he sighed after he couldn't give himself an answer. He was later startled that an Espeon sat beside him.

Espeon: "Is something bothering you, Joseph?"

Joseph: "Well, I guess I shouldn't hide it from you, Krystal..."

He took a deep breath, and then faced the Espeon, who is looking worried about him.

Joseph: "A thought just suddenly hit me... About..."

Krystal: "About...?"

Joseph: "About, if I could go back to my world..."

Krystal, after hearing his words, stared at the ground in front of her.

Krystal: "Oh..."

Joseph: "But I'm not saying that I want to leave you guys..."

She felt a bit relieved after hearing him saying those words.

Joseph: "...it's just... I feel like I've abandoned my mom... And I still need to look for my dad... And soon, I'm gonna become a father... I wonder if I can be a great dad..."

He was also about to tell her about how young he is to have his own family, but he suddenly lost his words after Krystal leaned her head on his shoulder.

Krystal: "I think you'll be a great father."

Joseph smiled after hearing her words.

Krystal: "...I think you didn't abandoned your mother. I think you did the right thing: to search for your father, to know the truth of what happened."

He suddenly felt that Krystal was just saying those just to make him feel better, but to him, it wasn't enough to wipe it all off of his head. He just thanked her, at least, to let her know that it meant something for him. He then thought about something. What if he could really find a way back home? Will he go back, or will he stay here? If he leaves, then it would mean leaving behind Steven, Rose, and Krystal, and his family. But if he stays, then he will no longer be able to see his mother again. He wanted to sigh, but decided not to, for it might make the Espeon wonder about what's on his mind again. Krystal then tells him that she'll be getting back to the den, and asked him to come along, but Joseph just tells her that he wants to have some time alone for a while. She decided to let him be alone for a while, and went back to the den. After, he then thought about Mark, about how troubled he probably is right now. Then a thought suddenly hit him, making him go inside the den, and after he saw Rose and Steven asleep, he sat beside Krystal, but after she asked him about what's on his mind, he started to have second thoughts, about whether or not to ask her about her parents, but after she asked him again, he decided to ask her the question. She paused for a moment, and then stared at the small circling rocks for their bonfire.

Joseph felt a bit weird about the word 'together', for he's still not used to it. Krystal then stared at the rocks again.

Krystal lived a joyful life with her parents and her two brothers and three sisters in their herd, led by Grievald. One day, however, a small group of Machokes came and wanted to claim the Eevee's territory, but of course, Grievald declined. Instead of igniting a fight, the Machokes went away after giving them a warning that it won't be their last meeting.

Meanwhile, inside a cave behind a huge waterfall, an Umbreon was washing his face, trying to stop the bleeding of the wound on his face. Afterwards, he stared at the water, and when it settled, he could he his reflection.

Umbreon: "So... This scar must be the sign that I accepted this kind of life... The life of an outlaw..."

He walked away from the stream and sat beside a rock that was a bit taller than him.

Umbreon: "But I don't care... Just as long as I can avenge my parents' death...!"

The Machokes came back one day, but not to try and claim the territory of the herd, but to give them a warning, a warning about the humans who destroyed their territory and claimed it as theirs. Their frightened faces scared every Eevee in the herd. Mark and Krystal, who were still too young, were embraced by their mothers, telling them not to be scared, but during that evening, everyone were surprised to see lights inside the forest. Grievald tried to sense what it was, and to his surprise, it was humans, slowly marching their way towards them. The Espeon quickly informed everyone about the presence of the humans, and tried his best to calm his herd. Soon, however, the humans quickly ran towards them as they shout with nets and spears. Every Eevee was frightened and ran away through the forest, while Grievald and other adult Eevees tried their best to fend them off. Krystal's mom bit her tail and her two brothers' tail, while her dad had her three sisters, and both were running away to safety; away from the humans. Mark was carried by his dad while his mom carried his brother, and were also running away through the forest, unfortunately, two humans ambushed them and struck his parents with spears, making his dad lose his grip on him. Mark rolled over the grassy forest floor, and he bumped on a log. After waving his head, he witnessed the humans stabbing his parents with their long spears. Blood splashed everywhere. And after, he saw one of the humans carrying his brother and putting him inside a bag. Fear struck him and he couldn't do a thing. Meanwhile, Krystal's parents were still running through the forest, but they could hear cries of Eevees around them, but they didn't mind it. They just ran until something struck her dad from behind, dropping his three sisters to the ground. Her mom quickly stopped to see what happened, and in front of their eyes, they saw her father lying on the forest's floor with a spear through his back, and blood was flowing. Her three sisters cried and when they were about to get near their father, another spear landed in front of them, and luckily, they weren't hit by it. they were surprised and quickly ran towards their mother, who lied down on the ground so she could carry her children on his back, and when her three sisters were on her mother's back, she quickly stood up and continued to run away with tears in her eyes. Krystal was crying in fear and loss. Suddenly, her mother slipped after stepping on a tree's root, making her children fall on the ground. She quickly rose up, and she saw a small opening on the base of a tree. She quickly puts Krystal's three sisters and one brother inside, and after she noticed that she could no longer fit any of her children inside, she quickly asked them not to move nor make a sound. Suddenly, they can hear the humans approaching, so she quickly bit Krystal's tail and as well as her other brother's tail, and she started to run away. Unfortunately, the humans stopped near the tree where she hid her children, and some of them chased her as the others investigated the area for they noticed her stopping in the area. With their torches, they can easily spot anything near the trees. Soon, her mother exited the forest, but soon stopped after she saw that she's on a cliff, and below was a strong flow of water. She looked back and saw a number of humans with spears in the forest, heading towards her. She quickly looked around, but after realizing she has nowhere else to go, she decided to jumped off the cliff before the humans could get her, and prayed for her and her children's safety.

Umbreon: "...I wonder what happened to my brother..."

Krystal: "...I wonder what happened to my brothers and sisters..."

Krystal continued her story that she woke up on the side of a stream, coughing out some water, and she quickly looked around, but she couldn't find her mother nor her brother. Later, she saw Grievald approaching her with a very sad look on his face.
Krystal ended her story with tears. Joseph then quickly wiped her tears with his paw.

A full silver moon was shining through a cloudy evening. An umbreon was standing near the edge of a cliff, eyes closed while facing the moon. The Umbreon's rings on its body were shining in red and blue. The silence of the evening was a great time for the Umbreon to feel the moon's presence.

Umbreon: "I haven't felt this soothing feeling in a while..."

Soon, however, he opened his eyes and looked behind him after he heard something splashing on a stream behind him. He saw a Murkrow, who was busy washing itself. He decided to approach the bird POKéMON. The Murkrow noticed him approaching, but it didn't mind him and just continued its own business. The Umbreon soon sat near the stream. The Murkrow stopped and faced the Umbreon with an annoyed look.

Murkrow: "Humf... Can't a lady have a peaceful bath?"

Umbreon: "I'm sorry, but you're in my territory."

Murkrow: "Oh, thanks for the info. Now leave me alone."

And she turned her back on him and continued her bath. The Umbreon got annoyed and quickly grabbed the Murkrow, carried her out of the water and pinned her down on the ground with his paws. The Murkrow was surprise by his sudden action. He quickly puts his face in front of her.

Umbreon: "Listen here, you---ah..."

The Murkrow's eyes were full of fear, and he saw this. He quickly remembered what was it like to feel fear, and after a while, he moved his head away and freed the bird POKéMON from his grasp. The Murkrow was confused. She looked at him who closed his eyes and asked for her forgiveness. She quickly stood up and started fixing herself.

Murkrow: "Hmp! Usually, I'll never forgive such a barbaric act, but since you were sorry for what you did, I'll make an excemption..."

He opened his eyes and he saw the Murkrow who just finished fixing herself up. She then looked at him straight in the eye.

Murkrow: "...but you owe me an explanation...!"

The Umbreon sighed and decided to tell her a story about his life.
Meanwhile, inside a den, a Flareon suddenly woke up and rose up from the nest after he heard a faint sound of footsteps coming from outside. He looked around and saw a Vaporeon with her eggs, and beside her was a Jolteon, and beside the standing Flareon was an Espeon, and all three were deep in their sleep. He quickly looked at the Espeon, and looked around her, and after he saw nothing but the usual, he sighed and decided to take a look outside. After he got outside, he sat down and looked around the area, and soon he saw a number of knights with torches, escorting a wagon being pulled by two Rapidashes. The scene was a bit far from where he is. Later on, a neighboring Rattata greeted him and sat beside him, and stared at the humans.

Rattata: "So, what do you think they're doing?"

Flareon: "They must be delivering something..."

Rattata: "Seems like it... But what do you think is on that...wooden-thing they're guarding...?"

Flareon: "That's called a wagon."

Rattata: "A wagon, huh?"

Flareon: "And about what's inside... Only one way to find out..."

And he stood up and ran towards the humans. The Rattata couldn't believe that he was actually going near the humans. After a few moments of mumbling about what to do, he decided to run after him. The Rattata was quick enough to catch up, and he is trying to convince the Flareon to go back.

Rattata: "Hey, listen... Huff, huff... Just because you were once human..."

Flareon: "... What?"

Rattata: "...doesn't mean that other humans will treat you as one of them..."

The Flareon stopped and stared at the small Rattata. The Rattataq uickly stopped as well.

Rattata: "Oh, that. Well, your friends told us about you when you were, y'know, sleeping, for a number of days..."

Joseph: "Oh... Well, let's go."

And he ran towards the Rapidashes, which wasn't far. The Rattata called out his name and asked him to come back, but he was ignored. He sighed and decided to catch up to him. Soon, the two POKéMON were now walking beside a Rapidash. The Rattata was feeling nervous, and decided to jump on Joseph's back and covered himself with his fur. Joseph looked back and noticed that the knights were ignoring him. He then greeted the Rapidash, who was a bit startled after hearing his voice.

Joseph: "I'm sorry to startle you like that..."

Rapidash 1: "My goodness, don't do that again!"

Rapidash 2: "Something wrong, dear?"

The female Rapidash faced the other Rapidash.

Rapidash 1: "Nothing, it's just that this, fluff-thing, suddenly appeared out of nowhere..."

The other Rapidash bent his head down to see what it was, and after he saw a Flareon smiling at him, he quickly returned his head back into posture and faced forward.

Rapidash 2: "That's a Flareon, dear. A fire type, just like us."

Rapidash 1: "Oh?"

And she faced the Flareon once again. The Rattata then decided to show himself after realizing that it was safe, but wasn't planning on going off of the Flareon's back.

Ruby: "Hello to the both of you. So, what brings you here, little ones?"

Joseph: "Well, my friend and I were just curious about what's on the wagon..."

The two POKéMON then looked at the wagon, but it was covered by a sewed cloth. They then faced Ruby.

Ruby: "Well, youngsters... Our kingdom just signed a peace treaty yesterday with the other kingdom, and right now, we're delivering these stuff here as a token of our kingdom's friendship."

Joseph: "Really? Wow..."

Ruby: "And one of the knights here is also carrying a piece of paper, in hopes that we can open a trade route so we can trade with them."

Ratar: "Wow... A trade route... What's that?"

Joseph: "A trade route is a path, or a road, where humans, like the ones here, will take in order to deliver some, er, human stuff, to other human places..."

Ruby: "Yes."

Ratar: "Wow... I don't get it..."

Joseph: "You will when they start it soon..."

Ruby: "Yes, we're hoping that it'll start soon. Carrying a wagon is better than running around in the battlefield..."

Ratar: "So what's inside this wag---gon thing?"

Ruby: "Just some vases and metal stuff that humans use for drinking and eating... I don't really know what they are..."

And while the Rattata and the Rapidash were having a conversation, Joseph looked back and noticed that he's too far away from the den now. He asked his friend to go back now, but the Rattata decided to travel with the Rapidashes for a while. After he thanked the Rapidash and excused himself, the Flareon ran towards the den.
Meanwhile, an Umbreon and a Murkrow were sitting near the edge of a cliff, and both were staring at the moon. The sky was clear now, and stars were twinkling as if they were dancing in the night sky.

Murkrow: "Such a sad story... I am sorry, though..."

Umbreon: "My kind told me to forget the past and move on... I just can't do it... This anger I feel inside is like a bonfire that can't be easily stopped...!"

Murkrow: "I do agree that life is unfair and humans are freaks of nature... But humans are starting to learn how to live peacefully."

Umbreon: "Just a simple plan to cover everything they did."

The Murkrow was confused and faced the Umbreon.

Murkrow: "What do you mean?"

Umbreon: "Humans will continue to kill us."

The Murkrow felt sadness after hearing what the Umbreon just said and faced the ground.

Murkrow: "Well, that's true, if they wish to survive..."

The Umbreon was confused to hear her words and faced her.

Umbreon: "What do you mean?"

Murkrow: "I mean, they're predators, so of course they'll search for prey to survive... That's how life goes..."

Umbreon: "So, you're saying that humans are superior?"

She faced him, still holding the sadness on her face.

Murkrow: "No, they're not. Alone, and we can turn them into our prey, but if they band together, then they're an ultimate force. I think they mastered a great way on how to survive..."

Umbreon: "So, you're on their side...?"

Murkrow: "Of course not. Some of my brothers and sisters were taken when they were still eggs... I'm angry at them because of it, but as I grew, I realized that life is unfair, and we have to deal with it..."

The Umbreon was annoyed and faced the other direction.

Umbreon: "You're no different from my kind, telling me to accept what is what."

Murkrow: "Well, what could you possibly gain if you'll continue to live like this?"

Umbreon: "Satisfaction... I won't stop until I am satisfied that I have avenged my parent's death...!"

Murkrow: "You'll destroy yourself in the process..."

Umbreon: "Whatever..."

Murkrow: "Look, despite the fact that you're an outlaw and all, you're a really nice guy..."

The Murkrow then fixed herself and prepared to fly.

Murkrow: "...but I just wish that you took a better road of life than this... But it's not too late..."

She was waiting for the Umbreon to say something, but after a few seconds of waiting, she said her farewell and flew away. The Umbreon sighed and thought that everyone he met in his life all said the same thing: to forget the past, accept the truth and look forward to the future. He then thought about whether avenging is parents the way he's doing is wrong, but then a thought suddenly hit him that humans killing his parents were also wrong. He was then determined to continue his life the way it is now, but then another thought hit him: about whether fixing the 'wrong doings of humans' can be solved by him who is also 'doing wrong'. He then suddenly thought about Rose, that if she was with him, she could slap him some sense. He then thought about Steven who would probably tease him to death, and Krystal that would soothe him with her words. He then thought about Joseph, which made him feel angry at first, until a thought hit him that Joseph really treated him as a friend. He then wondered if he was only being friendly so that he could use him and as well as his other friends. All those thoughts were starting to hurt his head, so he decided to enter the nearby forest and go to sleep to calm himself down, but while he was lying down on the ground near the base of a tree, thoughts continued to flow in his head.

I am starting to feel so alone now... Training hard to reach this far just to avenge my parents' deaths... Becoming an outlaw in the process... Hunted for the reward on my head... That Murkrow was the only one in a long while that made me feel like my old self: expressing myself to someone, having a conversation with someone, listening to someone's advice, opinion, ideas... I can't believe how much I miss being together with someone... I wonder if I can continue to live alone like this... Soon, everyone will recognize me as an outlaw, and when that time comes, no one will treat me like an ordinary POKéMON... But, avenging my parents' deaths is also important...! I can't just 'forget the past and move on'... Sigh... I guess I'll have to enjoy this sleep while I can, 'cause probably, soon, I can no longer enjoy a peaceful sleep... Rescue Teams will be hunting me everywhere I go... Rescue Teams... Hm... Wait... If POKéMON can band together to form rescue teams, why can't outlaws band together as well?

The Umbreon opened his eyes and stood up, and after he stretched his body, he quickly went back to the edge of the cliff. He thought that it would be a great idea if outlaws can band together to cause havoc. That way, he could no longer feel alone, he would have someone that also shares the same ideals in life. After a quick gaze at the full moon, he ran down the inclined cliff.

Daylight has finally arrive in the land of Kinah, and outside a den, a Flareon and a Jolteon were about to a practice battle. Near the entrance of the den were a Vaporeon and an Espeon, sitting beside each other as they watch the other two POKéMON practicing.

Jolteon: "And since you don't want to be the leader, I'll be the leader for a while, and I declare a practice battle!"

Flareon: "It would be much better if Rose would be the leader..."

Both the Espeon and Rose the Vaporeon chuckled. The Jolteon was a bit annoyed by the Flareon's remarks. After, he then charges electricity throughout his entire body, and started to focus the energy around his mane. The Flareon knew he was charging energy, and thought that it was his chance to strike first, but he decided to wait for the Jolteon's attack, so he can see if he can dodge electric attacks. He saw the Jolteon smiled at him, and suddenly, he stood on his two hind legs and smashes the ground with his two front legs, and after doing this, he discharges a series of lightning bolts both from his mane and from his two front paws, all heading towards the Flareon. The Flareon was stunned to witness that electricity was quickly heading towards him on land and in the air. He could not think of anything to counter the attack, so he just put his right front paw in front of his face and closed his eyes, but as soon as the lightning bolts could reach him, they disappeared. After a few seconds, he puts his paw down in confusion as to why he wasn't hit by the attack. He saw the Jolteon who was approaching him with an angry face.

Jolteon: "What were you doing? I could have killed you!"

Flareon: "I'm sorry...!"

And after he reached the Flareon, he sat down in front of him, and suddenly gace him a big smile.

Jolteon: "Hahah! Then that would mean that I was reallysuper, huh!?"

The Flareon just sighed and gave him a soft slap on the Jolteon's face.

Flareon: "Shut up, Steven... You weren't that great..."

Steven: "Yeah? i know you mean the opposite! Hahah!"

The Rose invited the Espeon to approach them.

Steven: "But I think I took too much time charging up some energy..."

Flareon: "Yeah, you were..."

Espeon: "Are you alright, Joseph?"

Joseph: "Yeah, I'm fine, I guess..."

Rose: "I have to say that it was really a fearsome attack."

Steven: "It was, wasn't it?"

Joseph: "Stop feeling so proud..."

Joseph then looked at the Espeon, who was looking worried about him.

Joseph: "Is... Is something wrong, Krystal?"

Krystal: "Nothing really, but you could have countered Steven's attack with your fire..."

Steven: "Huh...?"

Joseph: "Well, I, ah..."

Rose: "Krystal has a point though... So why didn't you?"

Joseph puts his right paw on his mane, and then puts it back on the ground.

Joseph: "I ah... I don't know how..."

The three other POKéMON were a bit surprised to hear his reason. Joseph then apologizes himself, but Steven cheered him up that a little practice is what he needs, and Rose and Krystal agreed. It was enough to give him a smile on his face and thanked them. Rose then invited Krystal to go back to the den. Krystal agreed, but before she went to the den, she went near Joseph and rubbed her head on his mane, and afterwards, the two female POKéMON went to the den. Joseph then asked Steven about how he charged electricity around his body, but he got annoyed after seeing him with a weird smile. He asked him to knock it off and answer his question. After Steven laughed for a bit, he then tells him that he just feels the electricity around his body and focuses it on his mane. Steven then tells him that instead of focusing his energy on his mane, Joseph should focus it on his mouth, since he's releasing fire through his mouth. Joseph then decided to try and feel the heat inside his body, and after trying to focus his energy inside his mouth, he quickly and forcefully opened his mouth, but he just released a small black smoke. Steven wanted to laugh, but instead, he cheered Joseph up that it was a good start. Joseph thanked him, even though he felt weird that Steven became supportive all of a sudden. He then went back to concentrate.
Minutes passed and Joseph finally got fire coming out of his mouth, and he was happy to achieve something great. Suddenly, a huge shadow passed them by. Both Joseph and Steven quickly looked up and saw that it was a Ho-oh, who was so high up in the sky, covering the sun, slowly flying north. Krystal and Rose, and some POKéMON in the area were also witnessing the magnificent POKéMON flying pass them. Some flying POKéMON started flying towards the Ho-oh.

Steven: "Wow... What kind of POKéMON is that...?"

Steven asked while looking up. Joseph then went back into training posture.

Joseph: "That's a Ho-oh. It's a fire and a flying type legendary POKéMON."

Steven was confused of what he just said and he quickly looked at him who was concentrating energy to perform another fire attack.

Steven: "A legendary POKéMON...?"

Joseph: "Yeah. It's the only one of it's kind... I think..."

Steven was awed by what Joseph said and looked at the Ho-oh again, who was already far away.

Steven: "One of it's kind... It must be sad to be all alone, huh...?"

Joseph wanted to say something, but he thought that it's not important and just continued to practice. Rose and Krystal started a conversation about the Ho-oh they just saw.

The sun was starting to rise up to the sky. Its rays were already reaching the land of Kinah. Pidgeys were starting to wake up from their nests in forests, and Sentrets began to greet each other. Some were witnessing a group of humans with Rapidashes and Ponytas pulling wagons carrying large amounts of wood, and among them were a number of Machokes carrying some more wood. The POKéMON felt a bit relieved to see that humans were no longer carrying weapons. The humans stopped a few distance away from the Eeveelution's den, where they started putting the huge pieces of wood on the ground from the wagon, as some started digging the ground. Some POKéMON were curious enough to know what they were doing and decided to watch them from a distance, while some took the courage to get a bit closer, but they were just ignored by the busy humans. Soon, a Pelipper landed in front of a rescue mailbox of the Eeveelutions, but he shifted his attention to the humans. Suddenly, a Flareon came out from the den and noticed the Pelipper. The Flareon was about to approach him when curiousity hit him about what the bird POKéMON was looking at, so he turned his head to the direction where the bird POKéMON was facing and saw the busy humans. After a while, he focused his attention to the Pelipper and went towards the bird POKéMON. The Pelipper noticed him approaching.

Flareon: "Good morning."

Pelipper: "Ah, Eeveelutions, yes? Good morning to you as well, my friend!"

He then took a letter from his bag and gave it to the Flareon.

Pelipper: "You're up early."

Flareon: "Yeah... I got used to wake up early."

Pelipper: "That's nice. Oh, yes, notice those humans over there?"

Both POKéMON faced the humans which were a distance away.

Pelipper: "I wonder what they're doing, though..."

Flareon: "It looks like they're starting to make a little town over there..."

Pelipper: "A town, you say? My my... Then peace has really started to bloom around here. I envy this region of yours."

The Flareon then shifts his attention to the bird POKéMON, who was already starting to fix himself, but a thought suddenly hit him.

Pelipper: "Oh yes... May I ask how true the rumor is that you were somehow human before...? It seems a very hard-to-believe rumor..."

Flareon: "To the POKéMON's ears, yes, it does sound impossible to believe... But unfortunately, yes, I was once human..."

The Pelipper was a bit surprised to hear him confirm the rumor.

Pelipper: "My my...! Such thing I never dream to believe! But you look like an honest young lad, so I believe you."

Flareon: "Th-thanks, I guess...?"

Pelipper: "So, I hope you won't mind me to ask, but what happened? It's the first time I heard such a thing..."

Flareon: "I wish I knew, but unfortunately, I don't..."

Pelipper: "That is indeed unfortunate... Tsk... But hey, I suppose you're looking for a way to get back into human, yes?"

Flareon: "Um..."

The Flareon thought about it for a moment...

Pelipper: "I'm flying from region to region, so if I hear anything that could help you, I'll let you know! Yes, yes, you can count on me!"

Flareon: "I ah... Well, uh... thanks...?"

Pelipper: "No trouble, lad! Now, have a great day, Eeveelutions!"

And the Pelipper flew off after bowing to the Flareon. He watched as the Pelipper flew away, and once again was thinking about returning to his world, if it's a possibility... He sighed after convincing himself that no such technology exist... Suddenly, he asked himself in his thoughts about why is he always hoping for technology. He then had an idea, that maybe a POKéMON can help him go back to his world. He thought of the POKéMON Palkia, the controller of space, for with that POKéMON's help, he may be able to return home, but another thought came into his mind that dimmed the shining light of hope within him. Where in the world will he look for Palkia? He sighed and bit the letter and went back into the den after a few seconds of looking at the busy humans. Inside, he saw a Jolteon and a Vaporeon, sleeping side-by-side with two eggs, and an Espeon, who was asleep as well. He then puts the letter down near the circling rocks, and after, he looked at the Espeon and around the sleeping POKéMON, but he failed to find anything but the usual, although he noticed that the Espeon's belly was bigger than it used to be. He thought that the Espeon must be pregnant, and will soon and weirdly lay eggs. He thought that since he's going to be a father pretty soon, he decided that he needs to start to be a bit responsible, so he took their rescue bag and went outside the den and was heading to the nearest forest to pick some berries.
After he got inside the nearby forest, he started picking some berries and putting them inside the bag. Some forest-dwelling POKéMON were also busy eating some berries in the area, but they were willing to share some to the Flareon. Soon, however, he saw an Umbreon, who was looking at him with an angry face. He noticed the scar on his face, and that scent, he recognizes it. No doubt, he was looking at an outlaw, the Umbreon, his friend, Mark. The POKéMON around the area doesn't seem to recognize the outlaw, nor to they notice the danger they were in, for they were just busy with their own business. He was a bit scared thinking of what might Mark do this early in the morning, but he decided to stay and look strong.

Umbreon: "It's been a while, hasn't it, Joseph?"

Joseph: "I guess it has, Mark..."

Mark: "The rumors did led me to you, after all."

Mark looked left and stared at a Teddiursa with its mother, an Ursaring, sitting near a bush and picking some berries.

Mark: "This place is peaceful, huh?"

Joseph looked at the direction where Mark was facing, and saw the Ursaring with her Teddiursa.

Joseph: "Yeah, it is..."

Both POKéMON then faced each other.

Joseph: "But please, I ask you, don't stir trouble here."

Mark: "I don't plan to."

Joseph: "W-well, that's great to hear then..."

Mark closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and after, he faced the Flareon.

Mark: "I hold no grudge on POKéMON..."

And he started walking towards the Flareon slowly.

Mark: "I hold this grudge on humans, and humans alone...!"

Mark stopped in front of him, looking at him straight in the eye. Joseph was also staring at him, straight in his eye. Mark then walked pass the Flareon and stopped after he can see humans from a far distance, busy building a little town. Joseph turned around to face the outlaw.

Mark: "And look at this... My new playground."

Joseph took a deep breath and went beside the outlaw, looking at the humans.

Joseph: "Mark... They're starting to enjoy peace... Can't you lea---"

Mark: "No, I can't...!"

Joseph quickly turned his head, facing him.

Mark: "After what you bastards did to my parents, I can never find peace...!"

Joseph wanted to oppose to what he said, but he decided to try and understand him, for maybe, at least he could help him recover from the pain he feels, but after a few moments of thinking, he had nothing. Mark suddenly closed his eyes and smiled.

Mark: "How... How are the others doing...?"

Joseph was a bit confused for the sudden question. He thought that he must really missed his friends.

Joseph: "They're fine. Rose became nicer now that she and Steven have two eggs..."

Mark opened his eyes, still holding the smile on his face.

Mark: "I see. So they're together now. And two eggs? Time flew fast..."

He suddenly took a deep breath, and then faced Joseph, still having that smile.

Mark: "And Krystal...?"

Joseph: "She..."

Joseph looked away.

Joseph: "She's pregnant... I suppose..."

After a few seconds of silence, Mark faced the humans once again.

Mark: "Pregnant, huh? So, you two are together now?"

Joseph then faced him, and saw him closed his eyes.

Mark: "Ah, Joseph... A human-turned-into-POKéMON, and the one who stole the one I love..."

Joseph: "Wh-what...?"

Mark: "It doesn't matter... I suppose females never dream to be with outlaws..."

Joseph couldn't answer him, plus the fact that Mark was still smiling is confusing him. Mark then opened his eyes and faced him.

Mark: "So, she's carrying eggs of a human..."

To Joseph, it sounded like a threat. He quickly showed anger on his face after he heard what Mark just said, for he thought he knew where Mark is going with his speech.

Mark: "Ah, so you know what I am thinking."

Joseph: "If you dare to lay your fur on her, or to our...eggs... I promise you...!"

Mark: "I thought you'd say that. I am hoping for excitement when the time comes."

He could no longer hold his anger and blasted a fierce flamethrower at him. Mark was quick enough to dodge it by stepping aside, but to his surprise, the flames suddenly stopped and Joseph quickly followed an Iron Tail, smashing Mark on the face, and throwing him outside the forest. After he landed on his back, the POKéMON around the area were startled, as some ran away. Joseph quickly jumped high above the outlaw and was already charging up another flame in his mouth, but then an Iron Tail attack struck him from his side, and throwing him to the ground. A Houdoom landed beside Mark, who just went back on his feet, and both were facing the Flareon, who was slowly going back on his feet. He puts the bag down so he can concentrate on the battle, while the POKéMON around the area were terrified and all ran away.

Mark: "You just can't wait for the action, huh, Joseph?"

Houndoom: "An early warm-up, huh?"

Joseph: "S--t...!"

Suddenly, Joseph felt something trembling on the ground where he was standing. He quickly jumped away after sensing that something was coming out, and just as soon as he jumped, an Ekans emerged from the ground. The Ekans was a bit disappointed that she missed. She crawled towards the other two dark-type POKéMON.

Ekans: "Drat, I missed...!"

Mark: "You'll get him next time, Viper. Don't worry."

Joseph: "Mind if you'll introduce your friends, Mark...!?"

Mark: "Oh, silly me. I forgot my manners."

Mark then introduced his allies: Viper the Ekans and Heath the Houndoom, and the three of them are all outlaws. After the introduction, Heath charges towards the Flareon, but he suddenly got electrecuted and he got completely paralyzed. Mark and Viper were surprised. A Jolteon suddenly came and stood beside Flareon. Both then faced the other two outlaws while the Houndoom was lying on the ground, unable to move.

Jolteon: "You alright, Joseph?"

Joseph: "Yeah, I'm fine."

Jolteon: "You could have woke me up before hunting these outlaws, y'know!"

Joseph: "I wasn't!"

Jolteon: "Right..."

The Jolteon replied sarcastically.

Jolteon: "The letter was... Oh, I forgot you can't read..."

Joseph: "The letter...?"

Jolteon: "Yes. It was about three outlaws that banded together."

Joseph: "So, it's these guys?"

Viper: "Enough talk!"

Viper shouted as she charged towards them. Joseph threw a fierce flamethrower at her, but she quickly evaded by digging under the ground. Mark came out from the burning ground and quickly focuses his energy at the Flareon. Joseph started having a severe headache and couldn't see clearly. Before the Umbreon could get any closer, the Jolteon charges electricity onto his mane, but then Viper came out under the Jolteon, lifting him up in the air, and the snake POKéMON followed it with a Poison Fang, but the Jolteon shoots a lightning bolt at her, unabling her from performing the attack. Meanwhile, Mark gave Joseph a hard headbutt. The impact released him from Mark's Night Shade. He was about to throw in another flamethrower, but he thought not to rely on it much, for Mark could easily evade it, so instead, he ran straight towards the outlaw, who was still recovering his stance after that headbutt attack. Joseph countered with a headbutt, and throwing Mark in the air. He quickly followed it with an Iron Tail, but the paralyzed snake POKéMON unintentionally fell on him, and both landed on the ground. Mark landed on his feet, as well as the Jolteon, and both were facing each other, but soon, the Jolteon was enveloped by a fierce wave of flames from behind. He quickly jumped away and tried to remove the flames on his body by jumping around. Joseph removed the snake POKéMON on him and quickly shouted at the Jolteon to roll over the ground, but he witnessed the Jolteon was struck by a Houndoom's Iron Tail, throwing him towards Mark, who also struck him with an Iron Tail, and the Jolteon was once again thrown towards the Houndoom, but before the Houndoom could land an attack on the helpless Jolteon, Joseph gave him a fierce headbutt, which hurts him a bit as well. While the Houndoom was thrown in the air and Joseph was still landing, on the edge of his sight was the Umbreon charging towards him, but suddenly, a huge wave of water washed the outlaw away. Suddenly, a Vaporeon came towards the unconscious Jolteon, and summoned water on her paws and puts them on the Jolteon's burns.

Joseph: "Rose...!"

The Houndoom and the Umbreon went back on their feet and faced them.

Mark: "Ah, Rose... It's been a while."

Rose quickly faced the two outlaws.

Rose: "Mark!?"

Mark: "So I assume that the Jolteon there's Steven."

Rose: "I'll get you for this!"

Unknown to her that the snake POKéMON was quietly approaching the Vaporeon, preparing a Poison Fang, but she suddenly got caught on fire. She cried in pain and dug underground. Rose was surprised and looked back. Joseph faced her.

Joseph: "A worm was about to bite you."

They then faced the outlaws after hearing the Ekans going out of the ground near the outlaws.

Viper: "Paralyzed and burned... Ouch..."

Suddenly, three large bird POKéMON landed behind the outlaws. They looked back and saw a Fearow, a Noctowl and a Pidgeot.

Joseph: "It's Skivan!"

Noctowl: "We meet again, outlaws."

Mark: "You guys again..."

Skivan: "Oh? You seemed disappointed."

Steven was slowly gaining consciousness. Rose quickly helped him get back on his feet.

Joseph: "Rose... Who's watching over the den...?"

Rose: "Krystal, and some other POKéMON near the area..."

Steven: "Ack...! I feel like I was being tossed around..."

Joseph: "You were..."

Suddenly, two Charizards landed in the area, and on their chests were rescue team badges. Suddenly, a Girafarig and an Electabuzz came to the scene, with rescue badges as well. The outlaws were surrounded. Mark was just smiling as he looked around, where they got nowhere else to run. The rescue teams were telling them to surrender.

Mark: "Hey, Viper."

Viper: "Hm? Is it time?"

Mark: "Yes."

Viper hissed at the rescue teams, and quickly jumped into the air, and dived to the ground, digging her way underground, and as soon as her whole body was inside the ground, the land around the outlaws collapsed, and a cloud of sand covered them. The Noctowl and Skivan quickly flapped their wings to get rid of the sand cloud, and as soon as it cleared, a huge hole was on the ground, but the outlaws were nowhere in sight. Inside the hole were series of tunnels, and a few Digletts who were knocked out cold. A Girafarig jumped down the hole and used her psychic ability to sense their auras, and suddenly called her Electabuzz partner and entered one of the tunnels. Skivan and his team flew away, trying to spot them in the air. The Charizards decided to follow the Girafarig and Electabuzz.
After Joseph picked up their rescue bag, he and Rose were helping Steven to walk back to their den, a few POKéMON were around the hole, curious enough to look at the whole scene. A number of humans came to the scene, and looked at the hole as well. Some of the Digletts were slowly returning to their senses.
Inside the den, the four POKéMON were talking about what happened.

Joseph: "Mark was stronger than I imagined... Also, I think he'll be appearing around the place often since humans are settling in the area..."

Espeon: "I can't believe he could do this to us..."

'Excluding you', Joseph thought, but then he recalls what Mark told him about her.

Joseph: "Krystal..."

Krystal: "Hm?"

He wanted to tell her that Mark will hurt her and their eggs, but he suddenly couldn't tell it to her.

Rose: "What is it, Joseph?"

He sighed and faced the Vaporeon.

Steven: "Joseph?"

Joseph: "Mark is likely to...'hurt'...Krystal, and as well as our...eggs..."

Krystal: "What? Why?"

Joseph faced the Espeon.

Joseph: "Mark is still angry about the fact that I was human... And he got this idea that you are carrying...my...offspring..."

Rose: "That's nonsense!"

Steven: "But how did he knew that you and Krystal are together?"

Joseph looked down on the nest, failing to reply to Steven's question.

Rose: "You told him, didn't you...?"

Joseph: "Well... I ah..."

Steven wanted to react, but he decided to keep it and wait for Joseph's answer. A few seconds of silence flew by before Joseph took a deep breath and faced Steven.

Joseph: "I'm sorry... I thought that there was still some hope that he'll turn around... He asked how you guys were doing..."

Rose: "So you fell into his trap..."

He closed his eyes and sighed once more.

Joseph: "I suppose I did..."

Steven took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, trying to understand his situation, and accepting the fact that Mark was still their friend. He was about to say something when he suddenly saw him standing up, and was walking towards the den's opening.

Joseph: "I need to be alone for a while..."

Krystal: "Where are you going...?"

He stopped outside the den and faced her.

Joseph: "Don't worry. I won't do anything stupid... I just need some time alone..."

He then looked outside.

Joseph: "I'll be back before sundown..."

And after, he walks off. Steven stood up and decided to follow him, but Rose stopped him, telling him to leave Joseph alone.

Rose: "He must have a lot of things on his mind right now..."

Steven: "So? That's why I want to get him back, so we can talk about it here..."

Rose: "Just leave him be. Being alone to think about things must be a human trait..."

Joseph was walking towards a cliff, where in his memory, was the place where he fell when he was still an Eevee. He passed by the area where the humans were still busy building homes.
Meanwhile, inside a cave behind a waterfall, an Umbreon, a Houndoom and an Ekans were resting and talking about their next activity. While the Houndoom and the Ekans were having a conversation, the Umbreon was looking at his reflection on the small stream.

'If rescue teams can form a group, then we outlaws can do the same. This way, I won't feel alone of achieving my vengeance... But... I got the nerve to hurt my friends... I almost killed Steven... Ack...! I'm an outlaw now...! I shouldn't be friends with rescue teams... But...'

Joseph was sitting near the edge of the cliff where he fell off, and with him was an Espeon, sitting near him.

Joseph: "I'm sorry if I'm bothering you, chief..."

Grievald: "I told you... I'm no longer your chief. But in any case, you seem to be in deep trouble, my friend..."

Joseph sighed, and after, he told him everything that happened between him and Mark.

Grievald: "That is indeed unfortunate... It must be difficult to bear the fact that your friend has turned into an outlaw... But I believe that is not the reason that you're feeling so down."

Joseph: "Well... I am worried about what he said about Krystal and our...eggs. But I guess you can still see through me..."

Grievald: "I will try my best to help you ease your troubling mind, my friend."

Joseph: "Thanks, but it's about me becoming a father soon..."

Grievald: "Becoming a parent does require a lot of responsibility, however, you are responsible enough to the task, my friend, so I am sure you'll be a great father to your children."

A few moments of silence passed.

Grievald: "What is it that is really bothering you, my friend...?"

Joseph closed his eyes and sighed. He then faced the horizon, where the sky was slowly turning orange as the sun was getting ready to set.

Joseph: "It's about me, being a threat to everyone around me... It's because of the fact that I was once human, that conflicts like these are happening to everyone that's close to me..."

Grievald: "That is not a fact you should trouble yourself with."

He quickly faced the Espeon.

Joseph: "What?"

Grievald: "Your past does not contribute to the things that are happening now. It's somebody else's past that is conflicting to your flowing lives."

Joseph: "You mean...Mark?"

Grievald: "Indeed. He needs to learn to accept and move on, as what Krystal and Rose did."

Joseph: "...I still feel as if it's my fault... If this keeps up, Krystal, Steven and Rose might get hurt... I want this to stop... I want Mark to stop his madness... I just can't think of a way how..."

Suddenly, a Pidgeot landed behind them. They turned around to face the new arrival.

Pidgeot: "I'm sorry if I interrupted your conversation."

Grievald: "Ah, Skivan. So how was the hunt?"

Skivan: "A faded light... We lost them once again..."

Grievald: "I see."

Skivan: "Hm? Ah! You're that Flareon earlier, are you not?"

Joseph: "Yeah, I was. Thank you for showing up, by the way... I don't think we would have survived the battle..."

Skivan bowed to him.

Skivan: "You are welcome. Allow me to properly introduce myself. I am Skivan of the Sky Rescuers. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Joseph: "Er, yes... Well. Hi, I guess. I'm Joseph."

Skivan: "Oh? The Joseph from the rumors?"

Joseph faced Grievald.

Joseph: "Do rumors spread like a wildfire here?"

Grievald: "Depends on the rumor itself, I believe..."

Grievald then faced the Pidgeot.

Grievald: "By the way, my friend... Joseph here is being troubled by the outlaw you were chasing."

Skivan: "Mark? Why so?"

Grievald: "Mark and Joseph were once friends, and both were in my herd. Mark, however, holds a grudge against humans, and after he learned Joseph's secret..."

Skivan: "I see. That is troublesome..."

Grievald: "Do you, by any chance, can give our friend here some advise?"

Grievald: "I thought you said that Mark was led to you by the rumors?"

Joseph: "True, but he instantly knew who I was through my scent..."

Grievald: "Then I suppose you need to confront him, and try to reason with him once again."

Joseph: "But if that won't work...?"

Grievald: "Then, my friend, I'm sad to say, but you need to end him if you wish for your family to live in peace."

Joseph: "K-kill him...?"

Joseph was terrified to hear Grievald's suggestion. But he see no other option, but he holds onto hoping that he can still find other ways to fix it. After a few moments, Joseph then excused himself after thanking both Skivan and Grievald for their time. He started to walk towards their den while he was deep in his thoughts.

The clear afternoon sky suddenly got cloudy and it started to rain when the sky welcomed the night. The humans who were asleep suddenly woke up and quickly started putting up some pieces of wood together for their shelter.
Meanwhile, inside the den, a Flareon, an Espeon, a Vaporeon and a Jolteon were sleeping near their little bonfire, which was already starting to fade because of the small droplets of rain coming in. Soon, a droplet of water went to the burning wood, and it created a spark-like sound, which woke the Vaporeon up, who quickly looked at her two eggs, believing that her eggs were already starting to hatch, but she sighed to her disappointment that her eggs weren't hatching yet. She embraced her eggs and went back to sleep, but then their small bonfire created the sound again, and this time, it startled the sleeping Flareon, waking him up.

Vaporeon: "It startled you, huh?"

Flareon: "Oh, Rose. Hello there, and yeah, I guess it did..."

Vaporeon: "The same for me. I thought my eggs were already hatching."

The Flareon looked at her eggs for a while, and then he looked at the sleeping Espeon beside him, and around, but he found nothing but the usual. Rose chuckled.

Rose: "Excited, aren't we?"

The Flareon shifted his attention to the Vaporeon.

Flareon: "Well, kinda... I'm still not sure if I can be a good dad."

Rose: "I'm sure you will."

A moment of silence came. The Flareon was gently rubbing the sleeping Espeon's head while the Vaporeon was licking her eggs to clean them. Their bonfire was slowly weakening. The Flareon stood up and took some pieces of wood on a corner of their den beside their rescue bag. He puts them down on their bonfire and spits an ember on it to light it up a bit, and afterwards, he lied down beside the Espeon.

Rose: "You seem to be able to control your fire."

Flareon: "Well, it's thanks to Steven and his training abilities."

A chilly wind suddenly entered the den, but they didn't give it any mind. The two awake POKéMON were just staring at the bonfire. Soon, the Flareon faced the Vaporeon.

Flareon: "Hey, Rose."

He caught her attention and she faced him.

Rose: "Hm? Something on your mind, Joseph?"

Joseph: "Yeah, but I hope you won't mind me asking this but, uh... May I ask about your past?"

Rose, who was facing him, suddenly puts her sight on the burning bonfire.

Joseph: "Ah... You don't have to tell me about it if you don't want to..."

Silence suddenly came by, and Joseph was about to go back to sleep when Rose suddenly said something.

Rose: "I only wished I was strong enough..."

Joseph: "Huh?"

Rose: "...strong enough to protect them..."

After she took a deep breath, she tells him her story.

Unlike Krystal, or even Mark, I was from another herd of Eevees. Our herd was near the ocean, in the land of Ttala. I was a few months old when it happened. Our herd was living a peaceful life. Often times, human come and pass. They didn't mind us, and we didn't mind them. They were just cutting down two to four trees each month, taking it back to somewhere, and that was it. Life was really lively when one day, the same humans came by to cut down some trees, when they were ambushed by another group of humans. Some of them were instantly killed, while the others managed to escape, probably to call for reinforcements, because a few minutes later, another group of humans came and a bloody fight was ignited. Our herd was very close to the battlefield, and so we couldn't help ourselves but to feel terrified, as some decided to run away with their children. My mom couldn't stand it anymore, so she took me and my big sister with her and ran away, but up ahead was a large group of humans and POKéMON coming our way, running towards the battlefield behind us. Everything happened so quickly. My mom quickly puts us down and she stood over us, to protect us from the large group of humans and some POKéMON who were heading to the battlefield. She was stepped on, but she gave all her strength to remain standing, so my sister and I can be safe. But soon, my mom couldn't take no more. A kick hit her from a large Machoke running towards us, sending my mom flying. We looked back to our mother, but after we did, my sister was stepped on by an armored human, completely crushing her back... I was afraid, but I had no choice but to look ahead and step away from the large feet that would kill me. Unfortunately, after rolling to a side to avoid being stepped on, a huge foot came in front of me and kicked me on my face, sending me flying and knocking me out. After I woke up, the sun was already setting, and the battle was already over. After I stood up, I looked around and saw my mother and my big sister's dead bodies, lying on the beach. I started crying as I was approaching my sister. I tried waking her up, but she was dead. I bit her tail and dragged her to our mother, so at least we could still be together for a while. While I was crying, two humans came and they were about to take them away, but I gathered all the courage I had left and growled at them. It seemed to be enough to make them stop and walk away. After that I looked at where the battle happened, and I saw a large group of humans, digging the sand and putting some dead bodies inside, and burying them. I didn't care what they were doing. I just stayed there, lying on the sand with my mom and sister beside me, crying the pain inside of me. Later that evening, I feared that predators might come and take my mother and sister away, but some humans were around, circling a large bonfire, and I could smell that they were cooking something, but the pain I feel was stronger than my hunger, so I didn't mind them and just lied there. I didn't notice that I fell asleep, and I woke up after the sun's rays were starting to hurt my eyes, and I was surprised to find that my mom and sister were no longer beside me. I tried looking for their scent, but I couldn't find them.I cried once again, feeling so alone more than ever. I don't know how many hours it took for me to stop crying, but after I did, I felt really weak and my stomach was growling. I needed to eat something, so I tried my best to walk towards the nearby forest to look for berries. Fortunately, some bushes have berries on them, and were short enough for me to reach them. After I satisfied my hunger, and after realizing that I need to find a safer place, I started wandering the forest. Eventually, an Espeon saw me, and asked me about myself, and while I was telling him what happened, tears were running down my eyes. I couldn't help it. He felt sorry for me, so he took me to his herd. That's where I met Mark and Krystal.

Rose ended her story with a deep breath. Joseph really felt sad and wanted to say something, but all he could gather are his most used words.

Joseph: "I'm...sorry for what happened."

Rose: "You had nothing to do with what happened, plus, it's all in the past now, so it's fine."

Joseph felt a bit glad that Rose is strong to accept what happened, unlike Mark. But then he thought, Mark's parents died at the hands of humans, while in Rose's case, it was but a mere accident. Mark's anger towards humans is understandable, while Rose, accepting her mother and sister's deaths, was a bit easy and is insensible to blame it on humans, at least, that's what he thought.

Joseph: "Another one... How many eggs can a single Eevee-mom can have?"

Rose: "Well, I'm not quite sure about that. Four or five, I guess."

Five eggs, he thought. Krystal told him about her family having six children, including her, so the maximum would be six, he thought. Six eggs means six children, six small baby Eevees. He wondered if he can manage to take care of six Eevees.

Rose: "You have a lot on your mind. Care to share?"

Joseph: "Oh, sorry... Well, I was just thinking if I can handle to take care four or five or six baby Eevees."

Rose just chuckled.

Rose: "The more, the merrier, as they always say."

Joseph blushed again and was about to put his paw on his head when he noticed his paw, so he puts it down instead. He then looked outside and noticed that the rain was getting weaker. After a few more talks with Rose, they decided to go back to sleep.
The sun was already climbing up the blue sky, and as the humans were starting to get busy building their new settlement, the POKéMON were also getting busy with their usual lives, while some were still spending their free time watching the humans. Joseph was already outside the den. He checked their mailbox, but nothing was inside, so he decided to go under the shadow of a tree near their den to practice controlling his fire. After a few minutes, a Jolteon came out of the den and stretched his entire body. Afterwards, a Furret was running pass in front of him, and stopped near the training Flareon, who stopped his training after he noticed the Furret taking deep breaths. The Jolteon decided to approach them.

Furret: "Eeveelutions, right?"

Joseph: "Well, yeah, I'm a member of Eeveelutions."

The Jolteon just arrived with a disappointed look on his face.

Jolteon: "I'm a member as well, but you just passed in front of me..."

Furret: "W-well... Uh... I lost.. I lost a precious item in...uh...Ilex Forest... Last night...you see..."

Joseph: "Ilex...Forest...?"

And while the Jolteon was asking the nervous Furret a few more details, Joseph thought about Ilex Forest. He thought that Ilex Forest is in the Johto Region. He wondered if they have to travel far or if it'll take them days or weeks to go there and come back. After the Jolteon got all the details, he called Joseph to return to earth. The Furret then ran away. Joseph then asked the Jolteon about where Ilex Forest is, and he pointed south, at the far-away forest. Joseph was surprised that Ilex Forest was there.

Joseph: "Are you sure that's Ilex FOrest, Steven?"

Steven: "Of course!"

Joseph: "B-but that means... I'm... We're in the Johto region!"

Steven: "Johto region? Hey, Joseph, I don't know if you forgot, but the name of this region is Kinah..."

Joseph wanted to say something, but then a thought reminded him that he's in the ancient times of the POKéMON world. He thought about that 'ancient war of Kanto' he heard from his cousin when he was still playing the POKéMON games. The war between the two opposing armies must be the war his cousin was talking about, and now that peace has arrived, the two kingdoms might take half of Kinah and claim it as their own. He thought that the 'Johto region' hasn't been born yet. Later, he realized that Steven was gone. He quickly looked around and saw him who just came out of the den, carrying their rescue bag, and he was approaching him. On his mouth were their two rescue badges. He gave one to Joseph, and together, they stuck it on their chests. Joseph excused himself and went back to the den, and he saw an Espeon and a Vaporeon talking to each other. He approached the Espeon and both rubbed their heads on each other.

Joseph: "I'll be back."

Krystal: "Promise me that you will."

Joseph: "Of course!"

Though he didn't know why he needed to promise his return. He went outside and saw Steven waiting for him, and soon, both POKéMON headed to Ilex Forest as Joseph was asking Steven about the item they're going to search.
Meanwhile, in a distance, an Umbreon was standing on a cliff, looking at the Flareon and the Jolteon who were going south. Later, a worn-out Furret came and was breathing deeply.

Furret: "Please... I ask you... Release my daughter... I did what you asked me to do... So please..."

Umbreon: "You sure you didn't tell them anything else?"

Furret: "I swear, now please... I beg of you..."

The Umbreon had a smile on his face.

Umbreon: "She's behind that rock over there."

The Furret, despite the fact that she's tired, quickly ran towards the nearby rock. She found her daughter, but to her surprise, her daughter was nothing but a cold corpse now. Before she got the chance to react, in front of her appeared an Ekans, and with it's poisonous fangs, quickly bit her on her face. In an instant, the Furret was paralyzed and poisoned at the same time. The Ekans slowly wrapped itself around it's prey. Suddenly, a Houndoom was approaching the Umbreon.

Houndoom: "So, what now, Mark?"

Mark: "Heh... Go and stuff yourself with the snacks over there. And afterwards, the fun begins."

Houndoom: "Will things go smooth this time? Killing that Girafarig and her Electabuzz was too much trouble, and hiding from those two Charizards really wore me down..."

Mark: "Oh? I thought you enjoyed it?"

Houndoom: "Believe me, I didn't..."

Mark: "Whatever, just prepare yourselves."

Houndoom: "What about you?"

Mark: "This excitement is running like hell."

The Houndoom wasn't sure if he understood what Mark just said, but he ignored it and went to the Ekans who was already enjoying herself with the prey they have.

It took a while for Joseph and Steven to reach Ilex Forest, but as soon as they did, the Jolteon was relieved that they're now away from the sun. He quickly sat down and with his hind leg, he scratched himself.

Steven: "Itchy... Very very itchy...!"

Joseph was just looking at him with a smile as he thought to himself that the way Steven scratches himself resembles that of his pet dog back home. After Steven was done, they worked their way around the forest.

Steven: "It shouldn't be that hard to spot something that big here."

Joseph: "Why in the world would a Furret carry a green rock during a rainy evening and drop it here, and then came looking for us to fetch it?"

Steven: "Beats me, but hey, no complaining! We're on an official rescue mission here."

Joseph sighed.

Joseph: "A search and retrieve mission sounds more appropriate, if you ask me..."

Meanwhile, outside the den, a Vaporeon came out and looked around, and to her surprise, she saw an Umbreon approaching her.

Umbreon: "Ah, Rose. You look lovely."

Rose: "M-Mark!?"

Mark stopped in front of the Vaporeon, and soon after, a Houndoom and an Ekans was approaching both of them.

Mark: "Hey, Rose. I made new friends, see? Let me introduce them to you."

And the Houndoom quickly spits a fierce wave of flames at the Vaporeon.

After a few minutes of going through the forest, they found a small clearing, forming an almost perfect circle, and at the center of the clearing, the sun's rays were shining on a small green rock. It was smaller than what Joseph had expected. Steven was overjoyed that they found what they were looking for and he was about to run and get it, until Joseph pulled the bag he was carrying, pulling him back to his place.

Steven: "H-hey, what gives?"

Joseph: "Something isn't right. First, why the heck is that rock at the center of the clearing, and second, why aren't there any POKéMON around here?"

?: "I put it there, silly!"

Both were surprised to hear a light and girly voice from out of nowhere. Joseph quickly stopped looking around and thought about Ilex Forest. In the game, a small and green yet legendary POKéMON lives here.

Joseph: "Are you Celebi!?"

He shouted after looking up on the trees. Steven quickly faced him.

Steven: "Celebi?"

?: "Aw... No fun...!"

And a Celebi came out from the treetops and slowly floated its way towards the green rock and sat on it, covering the whole rock. The two rescuers approached the tiny POKéMON. Joseph couldn't believe how small Celebi would look like. He was literally tilting his head down after he was close to the small POKéMON.

Steven: "You're a Celebi?"

Celebi: "Yup! Hello!"

Steven: "Really? You're a small POKéMON, aren't you?"

The Celebi was a bit insulted by Steven's remark.

Celebi: "Well, I may be small, but I can fly, unlike you!"

And as the two were arguing a bit, Joseph was looking around. After a short while, he interrupted their argument.

Joseph: "I'm sorry to cut your fun, but may I ask why aren't there any POKéMON around here?"

Celebi: "Oh? Well, humans used to hunt POKéMON around these parts of the forest."

Steven: "Humans are really something, ei, Joseph?"

Steven teased Joseph, who replied with an evil glare. He then shifted his attention to the Celebi.

Joseph: "Anyway, do you have a name we can use to address you?"

Celebi: "A name? Um..."

The Celebi thought about it for a while as she puts her right hand on her chin as she stares at the treetops where the sunlight was coming through. After a few moments of thinking, she faced them.

Celebi: "What's a name...?"

Joseph almost slipped after what he just heard. Steven was startled to see Joseph flinch.

Joseph: "Seriously?"

Steven: "Hey, Joseph, don't do that again! You startled me."

Celebi: "I'm just a Celebi. Tee hee!"

Joseph: "But do you have something that you call yourself instead of the usual 'Celebi'...?"

Celebi: "Um..."

She thought about it for a while once again.

Celebi: "Um... Well... No, I don't. But other POKéMON call me Ilex."

Joseph: "Ilex? As in, the nam---I mean, the word we use to call this forest?"

Ilex: "Yep! The same name as this forest!"

Joseph: "I...thought you said you don't know what the word 'name' meant..."

Ilex: "Huh...?"

Joseph: "Sigh... Nevermind. I'm Joseph and this is Steven, and we came here to retrieve this rock here."

Ilex quickly floated in the air with a surprised expression on her face.

Joseph: "Is this rock important to you? If it is, then we won't take it."

Ilex: "Re-really?"

They noticed that she's starting to shed some tears as she slowly floated down to sit on the rock.

Ilex: "Really...? You won't?"

Joseph: "Well, yeah, of course we won't. We just thought it was pretty and all, and we didn't know that you own it. So we're sorry."

Joseph shifted his attention to Steven after he felt that he's calling him by touching his shoulder with his paw. Steven then asked him something through a whisper.

Steven: "What are you saying, Joseph?"

Joseph: "Just be quiet and let me handle the talking."

He whispered back and then faced the Celebi.

Joseph: "Anyway, it was raining last night, right?"

Ilex: "Yes..."

Joseph: "During that evening when it was raining, were you alone taking shelter, or did you take this green rock with you?"

Ilex: "I took Brii with me."

She replied as she wiped her tears from her face.

Ilex: "I always have Brii with me..."

Joseph: "Is 'Brii' the name... Or rather, is 'Brii' what you call this rock?"

Ilex: "Yes."

Joseph then faced Steven with a serious look on his face.

Joseph: "Either this Celebi is lying to us, or that Furret made the whole thing up."

Steven: "How could she? She was really worried about the item she lost."

Joseph: "But there's no way that Furret could own something that Ilex already owned for a long time..."

Steven wasn't conviced, so he faced Ilex.

Steven: "Hey there Ilex. May I ask if there was a Furret wandering around this forest last night?"

Ilex: "No. There wasn't. You two are the first POKéMON I saw in these parts of the forest."

Steven was confused after hearing what Ilex said, but Joseph started to feel cold. Krystal was suddenly consuming his thoughts. His heart was suddenly pounding hard and fast. He quickly faced Steven.

Joseph: "It was a trap! Rose and Krystal...!"

He didn't finish what he was saying, and just ran back to the direction where they came from. Steven, who haven't realized what Joseph was trying to say, ran after him, leaving behind the Celebi who was puzzled as to why the Flareon suddenly paniced.

Ilex: "I wonder what's wrong..."

Joseph came out of the forest, and from a far distance, he saw a sudden fire from the direction where their den was located. Steven witnessed it as well, and the two quickly ran towards their den. While they were running, they saw a huge shadow covering them. Both payed no mind to it. A Pidgeot suddenly called them, telling them to grab a hold of his talons.

Steven: "Skivan?"

Skivan: "The other two members of the Sky Rescuers are already there. Rose asked me to fetch you guys. Now hop on! I can take you there faster!"

Joseph started to feel cold. Krystal was suddenly consuming his thoughts. His heart was suddenly pounding hard and fast. He quickly faced Steven.

Joseph: "It was a trap! Rose and Krystal...!"

He didn't finish what he was saying, and just ran back to the direction where they came from. Steven, who haven't realized what Joseph was trying to say, ran after him, leaving behind the Celebi who was puzzled as to why the Flareon suddenly paniced. Joseph came out of the forest, and from a far distance, he saw a sudden fire from the direction where their den was located. Steven witnessed it as well, and the two quickly ran towards their den. While they were running, they saw a huge shadow covering them. Both payed no mind to it. A Pidgeot suddenly called them, telling them to grab a hold of his talons.

Steven: "Skivan?"

Skivan: "The other two members of the Sky Rescuers are already there. Rose asked me to fetch you guys. Now hop on! I can take you there faster!"

Skivan flew closer to them, and the two running POKéMON quickly hopped onto the large Pidgeot's talons. Skivan then quickly flew higher, and after he's high enough, he closed his wings a bit to dive towards the scene. From the air, Joseph and Steven are witnessing two flying POKéMON evading a series of attacks; flamethrowers and shadow balls. He can't help but feel worried about Krystal. Finally, Skivan has reached the place, and he was about to land when Joseph suddenly jumped off his talons. He was still high up in the air, but Joseph didn't care. Before he lands on the ground, he spits a fierce flamethrower below him, to slow his fall a bit, and after, he stopped and landed on the burned ground and rushed towards the battle. He was quickly greeted by the Houndoom, appearing right in front of him and was about to bite him, but he quickly jumped towards him, landing his two front paws on his head, and then his two hind legs on the Houndoom's mouth, shutting it close, and then Joseph quickly exerts a lot of force on his jump, pushing the Houndoom to the ground. After the Houndoom got back on his feet, he was zapped by a Jolteon's thunderwave, who was approaching him, following the rushing Flareon. Up ahead, Joseph witnesses a helpless Fearow who's neck is being bitten by an Umbreon, and behind the Umbreon, he saw a Vaporeon on the entrance of the den, lying down on the ground, bathing on her own blood. This alone ignited the flare of anger within him, and what made it intense was he saw an Ekans inside the den. The Umbreon saw him approaching. He quickly freed the Fearow from his grasp and ran towards the Flareon while he was charging dark energy through his mouth. Both POKéMON were about to clash when the Flareon quickly jumped high to remove the obstacle in his way, but the Umbreon quickly responded and jumped as well. They were about to meet in the air when the Umbreon unleashes a shadow ball towards the Flareon. He spits a fierce flamethrower at the approaching shadow ball, which exploded in the process, throwing the Flareon and the Umbreon back because of the impact. They landed at the same time, but the FLareon quickly resumed running towards the den, being blocked by the Umbreon who was just waiting for the Flareon to get close, but he suddenly got hit by an electric attack from a Jolteon who suddenly appeared beside the Flareon, paralyzing him for a moment, giving them the chance to pass the Umbreon by. The Jolteon stopped in the entrance, trying to see if the Vaporeon was still alive, while the Flareon quickly entered the den and ran towards the snake POKéMON, preparing to bite her as he saw an Espeon lying on the nest beside two eggs, who was also bathing on her own blood. The surprised Ekans had no chance to prepare herself, and before she could think of a way to evade, she found herself being bitten by the Flareon. She was about to strike back with a poisonous bite when she suddenly felt a very hot feeling, but before she could realize what it was, she was already burning while she was still being bitten by the Flareon. He later spits the burned snake away and quickly ran towards the Espeon, trying to wake her up. He was already shouting the Espeon's name as tears ran down through his face without him realizing them. The Jolteon outside was striking with his electric attacks, but he didn't gave it any mind, for he was waiting for the Espeon to open her eyes, which she did after a few minutes.

Krystal: "J...Jo...seph...?"

Joseph: "K-Krystal! Thank goodness!"

Krystal: "I'm... glad... You... kept... your... promise..."

Joseph: "The... promise...?"

Krystal was trying to say something, but Joseph is asking her to stop to save her energy as he tries to carry her on his back to seek help. He puts his head down so he can squirm under the Espeon so he can carry her on his back, but before he could, Krystal stopped him by putting her paw on his head.

Krystal: "Rose... Rose's eggs..."

Joseph: "Ah?"

He quickly looked at the eggs that the Espeon was embracing, and he saw that one of the eggs was already cracked open, and inside the bottom half of the egg was an already-formed tiny Eevee, but life has already left the poor child, it seems, for it's own blood was filling the bottom-part of the inside of the shell. The other egg has a tiny crack on it, probably from an attack or something, but he didn't mind what happened to it and once again puts his head down, until he heard the Jolteon shouting from the pain it received from a fiery attack. He closed his eyes for he was confused whether he should help the Jolteon first, or take the Espeon somewhere safe. He made up his mind after he heard Krystal's voice to help Steven.

But she has taken her last breath. He couldn't believe it. His thoughts was suddenly filled with his moments with her as he thought that he never showed that he loved her. For all this time, he felt unsure whether he loves her or not, but now he realizes that he does, yet it was too late. He suddenly heard the Umbreon laughing, turning his vision into red. Anger filled his mind.
Outside, an Umbreon was standing in front of a Jolteon, suffering from deep wounds, cuts and severe burns. A Houndoom was approaching the Umbreon. The Jolteon was trying to stand up, but he couldn't gather enough strength to do so. He looked around and saw the Sky Rescuers lying on the ground, either unconscious or dead, and his beloved Vaporeon lying on the ground in front of the den. He looked at the two dark-type POKéMON, telling him something, but he could no longer hear any of their words. His ears were burned, and he's slowly loosing his consciousness. He suddenly saw the two outlaws looking at the den after they heard the Flareon shouting the Umbreon's name.

Joseph: "MMMMMMMMAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

The Flareon charges towards the two outlaws while his body was surrounded by flames huing from red to orange in color. Mark was surprised to witness a burning Flareon charging towards him. The Houndoom quickly stood in front of the Umbreon to try and block the attack. He was focusing his energy on his tail, which was starting to glow, and after he is in range, he quickly turns his whole body around to hit the Flareon with an Iron Tail, hitting the Flareon on the face, but it didin't stop him and instead, tackled the Houndoom, throwing him towards the Umbreon, pushing them both back. He quickly removed the flames around him and jumped high above them and spits a fierce flamethrower at the two outlaws who were still recovering their ground. The Houndoom simply smiled as he looked up, seeing nothing but flames, but after the Flareon stopped, his vision quickly recovered, only to witness a shining tail smashing his entire face, pushing him down to the ground as he looses his consciousness. The Flareon landed near the Houndoom, who quickly turned around to smash his tail on the outlaw, throwing the outlaw away, which was blocking the Flareon from the Umbreon. The Umbreon witnessed all of this.

Joseph: "STAND UP, MARK!"

Mark just smiled as he stood up and faced the Flareon, but as soon as he quickly got up, Joseph turned his whole body around to give the outlaw a powerful Iron Tail, but the Umbreon simply jumped away from it, and as Joseph slowly recovers his balance, Mark quickly ran towards him as he focuses his energy on his tail to give him a taste of his Iron Tail, but Joseph just simply spits a fierce flamethrower at him. Mark quickly jumped to his right to avoid the attack, but his left hind leg and his tail got caught by the flames, burning them a bit, but he didn't give it any mind and jumped to his left to dodge Joseph's flamethrower. But while he was still in the air, landing to the ground, Joseph quickly ran after him to give him a tackle, not knowing that he focused too much energy on his speed that he unknowingly was performing a quick attack. He lands a powerful tackle on the Umbreon, throwing the outlaw back while Joseph tried his best to stop, sliding on the grassy plains. After he stopped from sliding, Mark quickly got back on his feet, but he suddenly felt an unbearable pain on his chest, making him close his eyes from the pain he suddenly felt, and before he knew it, Joseph was already beside him, turning his body around, smashing his tail on Mark's body. He was thrown against the walls of an uphill beside the entrance of the den. He was all worn out, deeping deeply for air, and his chest his hurting him. He saw the Flareon slowly approaching him, who is slowly wrapping his entire body with flames.

Joseph stopped in front of the Umbreon, who was only standing on his two front legs.

Joseph: "Krystal and Rose had nothing to do with me being human! So why did you kill them!?"

Mark: "Heh..."

Joseph slapped him with his paw.

Joseph: "Goddamnit, Mark! Answer me!"

Mark: "You say they had nothing to do with you being human?"

Mark coughed a bit, and after, he spits blood on the ground.

Mark: "I saw a Ponyta and a Rapidash helping humans with their works. I thought to myself, that POKéMON who are with humans should be treated like a human as well!"

Hearing what Mark just said annoyed Joseph even more, and he slapped him once again as tears were starting to flow on his face. The flames around his body faded away. Steven, who was nearby, was just looking at them while lying on the ground, as he's trying his best to breathe. Skivan has finally recovered his consciousness, but he was greeted by a lot of pain all over his body, restricting him from standing up, or moving any parts of his body.

Joseph: "Damnit, Mark!"

He wants to kill him, he wants to burn him, but he couldn't. He couldn't do it. He wants to avenge her death, but he can't take a life of a friend. Friend? He thought about if friends would kill your loved ones. Do friends like those deserve your mercy, your forgiveness? No, of course not, he thought. He then heard Mark laughing while his head was facing the ground with his eyes closed, and afterwards, he begged him to kill him. After, he tells him about how Krystal and Rose were killed, that after the Houndoom spits a fierce flamethrower at Rose, she jumped to her side and quickly spits an ice-cold water beam at them, but as the Umbreon and the Houndoom dodges her attack, the Ekans worked her way towards her and slashes her with a poison tail, slicing her body. She was still conscious and tried to bite the snake POKéMON, but an Iron Tail smashed her head, throwing her towards the entrance of the den. That was when the Sky Rescuers showed up. Skivan landed in front of the snake POKéMON, who quickly went inside the den. He was about to follow her when he suddenly heard Rose's voice, telling him to get Steven and Joseph who were in Ilex Forest. The Umbreon was about to land an Iron Tail on Skivan, when he suddenly took off towards Ilex Forest. During this time, Krystal was starting to feel ill for she's about to lay her eggs when the Ekans suddenly attacked her. She tried her best to protect Rose's eggs while taking the Ekans' attacks, and she launches a series of psychic waves towards the snake POKéMON, but she couldn't focus well.
Joseph wasn't saying anything. He was staring angrily at Mark.

Mark: "Hahahah! Yes, that's true. But just like you said... You're the leader, and you're responsible for her death as well, 'cause why did you left them all alone, eh?"

Even though Joseph wasn't the leader, that was a big slap on the face on his part. Why did he left them alone? How could he left them all alone? How could he left her all alone? While those thoughts were making him busy, Mark, who was secretely focusing his energy on his tail, quickly stood up and tried his best to land a successful Iron Tail, but the pain on his chest was too much, giving Joseph the chance to evade it and counter with a quick headbutt, throwing him against the walls once again. The impact was too much for him. After he landed on the ground, he vomitted a lot of blood. His broken ribs must have gotten worst, and now, he's having difficulty breathing for air. He then collapses to the ground, facing Steven, who already took his last breath a few moments ago.

'Friends 'till the end, huh? What a funny thing life is...' Mark thought as he finally took his last breath.

Later that day, other rescue teams arrived at the scene. The Houndoom and the Ekans were still alive, and were arrested by the Magnemites and Magnetons who arrived in the area. A number of Chanseys were also in the area, trying their best to revive the victims. Some rescue teams were discussing about what happened, and trying to picture out the battle. Joseph was lost in his thoughts. He was quietly sitting in front of their den, facing the opening of the den, his sight on the ground, giving no mind to everything that was happening around him. Although two Chanseys were trying their best to revive Krystal inside the den, Joseph had lost hope, for he already knew that she was gone. Skivan was beside him, trying his best to let Joseph feel that he has someone he can talk to, to feel that he's not alone, but his efforts were ignored. Skivan has his sight on his fellow rescue members; Daina the Fearow and Herath the Noctowl. He felt glad that Daina survived, but he's feeling a great loss that their leader, the Noctowl, is no longer with them. Skivan then shifted his attention to a number of Machops, digging up the land to bury those who died near a lone tree, which was near to the den. He sighed, and then looked at Joseph, who was still not moving. He wanted to say something, but when he opened his mouth, the words quickly vanished from his head. He closed his mouth instead. Soon, a Chansey came in front of Joseph, carrying two eggs. Joseph wasn't moving, nor looking at the Chansey.

Chansey: "I am sorry... We couldn't bring the Espeon back..."

She puts the eggs down in front of the Flareon.

Chansey: "We noticed that she was pregnant, so we...had no choice but to take the eggs out of her..."

Skivan: "Eggs? Did you check the eggs?"

The Chansey shifted her attention to the Pidgeot.

Chansey: "Yes, they're fine. All they need now is someone to give them warmth so they can hatch."

They suddenly heard a cracking sound, and the Chanseys inside the den sighed in relief. One of them took the hatchling to the Chansey outside. The small Eevee hatchling was crying with a soft voice. The Chansey was making the small hatchling to calm down by singing a lullaby to it. And then, another Chansey approached her, carrying another hatchling, and after she took it, the Chansey tells her that it was a miracle for that one to survive. It was the hatchling who was inside the cracked egg. The blood inside its egg didn't belong to the hatchling, but from the Espeon.

Skivan: "Joseph, someone needs to take care of them."

But Joseph was still motionless. Skivan was starting to get annoyed.

Skivan: "Hey, look, they're gone now. You have to take care of those..."

But after a few moments, Skivan sighed for failing to make the Flareon respond. Skivan then asked the Chansey to fix a nest inside for the hatchlings and for the eggs.

Later, when the sun was about to set, Joseph was still on the very same spot. The POKéMON who were in the area were already gone. Skivan and an Espeon were behind him a few distance away. Skivan looked at a lone tree near the den where four graves were dug. Inside the den, the two hatchlings were asleep beside the two eggs. Suddenly, a Xatu landed behind the Espeon and the Pidgeot.

Xatu: "Sorry if I'm late. I came as soon as Grievald came to the castle and told me everything that happened."

Skivan looked at the Espeon. The Espeon was confused.

Xatu: "Oh, Grievald! You're here, already!?"

Grievald: "I haven't asked you to come..."

The Xatu looked surprised.

Xatu: "Oh my! Then it must have been a vision of the future! But anyway..."

The Xatu stepped forward, facing the Flareon.

Xatu: "That's the human, right?"

Skivan: "Yes, he's---"

Xatu: "He's Joseph, I know. I still remember his name. Sad about what happened."

Grievald: "Skivan and I have tried our best to talk to him, but we both failed to try and make him feel better..."

Xatu: "Hm..."

The Xatu paused for a moment.

Xatu: "Remember that he's a human. Our way of comforting others might not work for humans, you see. Let me try and talk to him. I've been observing how humans interact with each other in Lord Kanto's castle."

And she began approaching the Flareon on foot. Grievald and Skivan just stayed on their spot and watched the Xatu. The Xatu stopped beside the Flareon, who didn't even bother looking who it was. He was still sitting there like a statue. The Xatu took a deep breath before she starts to talk to him. She began by patting the Flareon's back.

Xatu: "My friend, cheer up. It's a great loss, but you're a strong young fellow, so I'm sure you'll get through this."

And finally, the Flareon moved. Grievald and Skivan were surprised to see the Flareon sighed in grief. The Flareon closed his eyes.

Joseph: "Leave me alone..."

Xatu: "Now, now. I won't leave someone who is feeling so depressed. Come on now, you have to put it together. You have four little ones who need you."

The Xatu paused for a moment, waiting for Joseph to say something, but he didn't say a word.

Xatu: "Also... They're not gone, you know..."

She noticed Joseph took a deep breath.

Xatu: "They may be gone physically, but they still exist, and you know where?"

Joseph sighed.

Joseph: "In my heart... I know..."

The Xatu was glad to hear him say it, and gave him a hard pound on his back, throwing the Flareon inside the den. Grievald and Skivan were shocked to witness what just happened. The Flareon landed on his face, and got up annoyed and went out and faced the Xatu.

Joseph sighed after starting to feel sad again. But he was thankful for the Xatu.

Joseph: "Thanks, though... Luvian, right?"

Luvian: "Ah! So you still remembered my name! But you shold try and think of a name for your little ones there."

Joseph looked inside the den, staring at the two sleeping baby Eevees, and two eggs. He smiled a bit as he faced the Xatu.

Joseph: "Well, yeah. I think I know what to name those little guys."

The Xatu was happy to see him cheerful once again, and once again, pounds his back, but he manages to dodge it this time.
Days come and pass, and Joseph was lying inside the den, and near him are the two eggs, and he was happily watching the other two Eevees playing with each other. Suddenly, one of them fell flat on the ground while the other went above him and started biting his ear.

Joseph: "Rose! Don't hurt your brother!"

The small female Eevee went off of his brother, who then stood up and faced his sister.

Eevee: "Hey, let's play tag!"

Rose: "Oh Steven, you know I always win at that game!"

She said while feeling proud of herself, but her brother quickly ran away, sticking his tongue out at her. This annoyed her, and began chasing him. Suddenly, one of the eggs was shaking and began showing some cracks. Joseph called the two youngsters over so they can witness how Eevees hatch. The youngsters rushed to him and climbed on him. As they were watching the egg, the other egg started to hatch as well. Soon, the first egg breaks and an Eevee appeared inside of it. The two youngsters were amazed as Joseph sniffs the little crying Eevee's scent.

Joseph: "A male."

And as soon as he said it, the other egg breaks open and another crying Eevee appeared from inside. He sniffs the youngster's scent while the other two Eevees climbed down and greeted their new family.

Joseph: "A female... I shall name them...

And as he stares at the four little Eevees happily, he remembers the time when he was still in Grievald's herd.

It was a stormy evening. Lightning were flashing and thunder were roaring in the dark sky as the winds were blowing hard. The land of Kinah was swallowed by the blackness, except for a den where there was a dim light inside.
A Flareon was lying down on a nest made out of dried leaves and grass, and four young Eevees were sleeping on his fluffy tail, giving them enough warmth to ignore the cold's presence. The Flareon was still awake, staring at the bonfire in front of him. He's thinking that when daylight starts to climb up, it would mean that it has already been four days since the two Eevees hatched. He suddenly made a smile after thinking how weird it was for Eevees to hatch from eggs. He then stared at the opening of their den, where he could see nothing but black, and a few lines of blue, which were the raindrops, diving towards the ground diagonally. He's been thinking about putting a door, but he couldn't if he has paws instead of hands. But then he thought that his life would be peaceful now, after he retired from being a rescuer, although he was given the chance to keep the badges. He remembered earlier that afternoon that he puts one badge on his friends' graves, at least, a reminder that they were once a rescue team. Now, he's hoping that the storm won't wash those badges away. He suddenly got startled after he felt a sudden movement on his tail. He took a look and saw that one of the Eevees was scratching his ear with his hind leg. After a while, he stopped and resumed his peaceful sleep. He wondered if his life will stay like this. He was about to put his head down on the nest and go to sleep when a sudden figure entered the den, and started shaking itself to remove the water around its body. The light from the bonfire was enough for him to recognize that it was a Rattata, and he recognizes his scent. It was his friend.

Flareon: "Ratar? What are you doing here?"

Ratar: "Hey Joseph. Sorry for the sudden visit, but can I sleep with you? My den was flowing with water, and I couldn't sleep while swimming..."

Joseph: "Uhm... Sure, I guess."

Ratar: "Oh, thanks!"

Ratar was happy that the Flareon allowed him to sleep with him. He quickly ran towards him and lied down on the nest right in front of him.

Ratar: "Just don't eat me while I'm alseep, okay?"

Joseph seemed to be grossed out by the idea.

Joseph: "Why the heck would I eat you?"

Ratar: "Oh, good! G'night!"

And after a while, the Flareon puts his head down on the nest and went to sleep. After a few hours, the storm was weakening, and a sudden loud thunder roared through the land, startling the Flareon from its sleep, making him rose his head up, as he witnessed that everything he sees was in white, and later, it went to black. The bonfire was already out, but he can still see a few details around him. He thought that it must be a special ability of POKéMON having special eyes that can still see even in the darkness. He saw the Rattata in front of him, already lying on his back and was snoring a bit. Another lightning flashed, and he noticed a strange shadow entered the den. It was sudden, but he saw what it looked like a four-legged figure, and on the part of its head, it had fangs, and on the top of its body has a weird fluff. If he's not mistaken, he saw Raikou's shadow. He was excited to see a legendary with his eyes, so he rose up, and slowly and carefully removed his tail from the four sleeping Eevees. After he did, he covered their bodies with leaves, and went towards the opening of the den. It was dark, but he can see a weird figure a few meters away in front of the den. Another lightning flashed, and it gave him enough light to recognize the figure, which was indeed a Raikou. He was amazed; a real-life Raikou! Now he wanted to go and greet the POKéMON, but he thought that if he approaches the Raikou, either it'll run away, or it'll kill him, but he thought that it was worth the shot, so he slowly went outside, despite the chilly wind and the rain. As he approaches the legendary POKéMON, a lightning flashed once again, and he saw the Raikou looking at him. He was startled for a while, and later resumed in approaching it. Somehow, the Raikou was neither running away, nor it was showing signs of killing him when he arrived.
He needed to tilt his head up to see the Raikou's face, which was a bit annoying for droplets of rain were landing on his face.

Raikou: "A bad idea for a fire-type to be walking under a storm."

Joseph: "I ah... Well, I live nearby, and I happen to notice you."

The Raikou looked away.

Joseph: "Why are you here, anyway? I don't think standing under the rain is good for you."

Raikou: "I got used to it."

He then looked at the Flareon, who was shivering a bit from the cold.

Raikou: "And to answer your other question, I'm hunting."

Joseph was surprised to hear what the Raikou just said, and feared that he might eat him. The Raikou looked away once again.

Raikou: "You should head back. This storm will get violent soon."

Joseph: "Huh?"

It puzzled him for a moment.

Raikou: "When two lightnings clash, even the earth shall shake in fear."

Joseph: "Wh-what do you mean?"

The Raikou faced him.

Raikou: "Zapdos is claiming my territory."

Joseph: "Zapdo---Zapdos!? The lightning bird!?"

The Raikou nodded.

Raikou: "You seem to know quite a lot. Not many POKéMON know of our existence."

Joseph: "Well, I, you see..."

Joseph was about to add something to what he was going to say, when both POKéMON heard a faint flapping sound from somewhere. The Raikou quickly looked around the sky.

Raikou: "You should head back, now."

Joseph, with no doubts, quickly ran back to the den. After entering the den, he quickly turned around and tried to shake off the water on his body, which made him dizzy for a moment. After, he looked outside and from a distance, he saw a yellow figure flying through the clouds, and suddenly, he saw Raikou roaring at the sky and quickly ran towards the yellow figure as he summoned lightning bolts around his body. Suddenly, a series of white flashes surround the area, giving him headaches, so he closed his eyes as he turned his body away from the opening of the den. He then heard series of thunder roaring through the area as he went back to where the four sleeping Eevees were. He lied down, removed the leaves on their body with his paw, and softly bit their back and puts them down on his tail. After, he puts his head down and tried to go to sleep as he ignored the flashes of lightning and roars of thunder.

The sun has finally showed its soft rays in the horizon, painting the black sky into orange with a shade of red. Trees were dripping droplets of water, and the grass were sparkling. A Flareon came out from the den, stretching his entire body, and was shocked to see a lot of huge burned areas on the planes a distance away. He thought that it was caused by the battle between the Raikou against the invading Zapdos. He sighed and thought to himself that hopefully, that was their last battle, and as he went back inside the den, some POKéMON who just woke up were startled by the burned areas of the field, as some were curious enough to approach them and wonder what happened. Inside, he saw the Rattata who was stretching his entire body, and after, he shook his body and then ran outisde the den, seemingly ignoring the fact that a huge Flareon was there. He later turned around and looked inside the den.

Rattata: "Oh, hey Joseph! G'morning!"

Joseph: "Eheheh... Well, good morning to you as well."

The Rattata looked at the sky.

Rattata: "Another great day!"

And he quickly faced the Flareon and gave him a quick goodbye and ran off. He then heard one of the Eevees' yawning. He looked at them and saw one of them rising up and was approaching him with eyes closed.

Eevee: "G'morning dad..."

Flareon: "Good morning Mark. Your up early."

Mark yawned as he stretched his body, and after, he waved his head from left to right, and then faced the Flareon with a smile.

Mark: "Well, I was thinking of going with you to pick berries."

Joseph: "Shouldn't we wait for your brother and sisters to wake up?"

Mark: "Aw... But it'll take them a while to wake up...!"

Joseph: "Well..."

Mark: "C'mon! Can't the two of us just go?"

Joseph: "Eheheh... You have to understand, Mark, that if we go, then who's going to watch over them while they're asleep?"

Mark groaned and went back to the nest, heading towards where the three sleeping Eevees were. Joseph just watched him with a smile, thinking that Mark will wait for them to wake up, but his smile quickly turned up-side-down when he saw Mark faced the sleeping POKéMON with an evil smile, and before he could stop him, Mark already shouted.

Mark: "WAKE UP!!! A MONSTER'S GOING TO EAT YOU!!!"

And the three were startled, quickly rose up and ran towards the Flareon, shivering from fear, which suddenly turned into a feeling of annoyance after they looked back and saw Mark laughing. The three quickly ran after Mark, and pushed him against the ground as they were saying something in unison that Joseph could no longer understand what they were all saying. Joseph sighed.

Joseph: "Knock it off, all of you..."

The three Eevees freed their brother and all four faced the Flareon.

Rose: "But dad...!"

Joseph slowly approached them.

Joseph: "I know, but nothing we can do about it now. Mark, don't wake them up like that again."

Mark: "Okay! But since they're all up now, can we go and eat berries now?"

He asked with a very big smile. The other three just gave Mark an evil glare. They later went outside their den and sat down in front of the den's entrance as they watch a large group of POKéMON around the burned parts of the field. The young Eevees were wondering about the sudden black spots on the grassy fields. Joseph suddenly felt something poking his leg.

Steven: "Dad... What are those?"

Joseph: "Hm...? Well..."

He thought about the battle between the Raikou and the Zapdos, but it would be difficult to explain everything to their young minds, so instead, he spits a small ember on the grass in front of him. The four Eevees watched the grass burning and turning black. The flames quickly disappeared, failing to completely burn the wet grass.

Joseph: "That was an example of what I think might have happened there."

The four Eevees were awed, and once again were curious about where the fire came from, when suddenly, their stomach started growling. The four laughed as Joseph tells them that they should start moving now. The five were heading to the nearby forest, and as they slowly enter the forest, Joseph recalled the day he met Mark the Umbreon there. He tried not to think about it, for the Mark he has now is a small mischievous Eevee. Joseph was leading the way, but Mark soon ran pass him towards a bush which was abundant with red circular berries. The other three quickly followed him, and all four stopped near the bush and started eating them. Joseph just sat down behind them, watching them satisfying their hunger. He wasn't feeling hungry at the moment, but he thought that he should eat so he won't need to leave them in the den if he ever starts to feel hungry. He was about to stand when Krystal suddenly turned to him, carrying a stem from the bush with berries on them. She puts it down near his father as she wags her tail. He thanked her as she gave him a smile and quickly went back to the bush. As he ate the berries, he thought about his mom, wondering about how she managed to take care of him when he was a small child. He then thought that it was unfair that her mom had to take care of him and only him while he takes care of four. The thought gave him a smile on his face. After he finished, he saw Mark and Rose sitting down behind the other two Eevees who were still eating while the two were talking and laughing. He looked around and saw Pidgeys and Pidgeottos on the trees' branches, Sentrets and Furrets wandering around each bush, a lone Stantler, lying on the ground and seemed to be sleeping, and a herd of Ursarings watching their young Teddiursas playing around. Suddenly, a Ledyba flew in front of him, heading outside the forest.

Mark: "Hey dad..."

It got his attention and looked at them, who were all sitting side-by-side, with faces showing signs that they're full.

Mark: "Aren't you going to eat some?"

He just smiled and puts his paw on Mark's head. He then went to the bush and ate a bit, which didn't even took thirty seconds, and after, he turned to them and asked them if they're ready to go back. Rose, Krystal and Steven liked the idea, but Mark asked him if they could stay in the forest for a little while. He gave a reason that staying inside the den is boring. He later agreed after they promised not to go too far, and the four were happy and started playing tag with the new playing ground they have. Soon, Steven bumped on a standing Teddiursa, who later introduced themselves to each other and started playing together. Joseph was watching them playing, until he noticed the herd of Ursarings inviting him over. He didn't feel like being around a group of huge POKéMON that could easily rip him apart, but he also don't like to decline their invitation, which he thought might make them think of things about him, so after taking a deep breath, he gave them a forced smile and went towards them.
After a while of introducing themselves and talking to each other, Joseph convinced himself that the Ursarings weren't really as bad as he thought they were. They were really friendly as they toss a few jokes around. He would look at the Eevees from time to time, however, even though he was assured by the Ursarings that no trouble-makers would come in their territory.
Later, the four Eevees and three Teddiursas were sitting down, forming a circle, and were all talking to each other. Eventually, they reached a point that one of the Teddiursas asked the four Eevees about what would they want to be when they evolve, for they heard that Eevees can evolve into five different POKéMON. The other three thought it over while Rose quickly answered that she wanted to be a Vaporeon. She was asked by another Teddiursa as to why she wanted to be a Vaporeon, and she replied with a smile that she kept having dreams about her being with a Vaporeon, swimming in a vast sea, until she stared at Mark and continued her story that she suddenly heard a very loud and annoying voice that woke her up. Mark felt a bit embarrassed as the others laughed about it. Meanwhile, an Ursaring asked the Flareon about how he is able to take care of four Eevees all alone, but he couldn't answer the question straight away.

Joseph: "It's difficult, and stressful, but seeing their smiles is really worth it. I can't really explain it myself..."

An Ursaring clapped her hand and gave him moral support, and he thanked her, though he had no idea why she did it, but didn't bother asking. An Ursaring was talking about something when suddenly, their youngsters ran towards them. The four Eevees rushed to the Flareon, and telling them about humans they saw coming towards the forest. The Ursarings stood up and looked outside the forest as Joseph tells the Eevees not to go anywhere until he says so. The four agreed and went to the Teddiursas who were shivering in fear. He stood up and looked at the humans who just entered the forest, who were wearing thin clothing and they were carrying baskets. They had fine long hair, and their faces show beauty. Joseph tells everyone that they're female humans and thought that they were just going to pick some berries, though he was disturbed by the fact that they weren't wearing bras. He suddenly felt something on his front paw. He looked down and saw Mark sitting in between his front paws, staring at the humans who were already starting to pick some berries. The Ursarings were convinced that they were harmless and sat down. The other three Eevees went to the Flareon.

Krystal: "Dad, are they really harmless?"

Steven: "They really look weird."

Joseph: "Well, those humans are harmless. They're females, as you can see by their long black hair on their heads."

One of the humans noticed them and waved her hand at them, which then quickly resumed picking berries.

Mark: "What is that one doing?"

Joseph: "That's our---that's their way to say hello."

Rose: "Well, even if they are saying hello to us, I'm not going near them."

Mark, Steven and Krystal: "Me too."

Joseph wanted to approach the humans, just to show them how friendly they can be, but he thought that it would probably be best if he wouldn't. He later heard an Ursaring calling his name. He turned around to face them. The Ursaring asked him about how true were the rumors about him being human. The youngsters were confused by the sudden random question. Joseph confirmed the rumor, yet he tells them that he can't remember how he turned into a POKéMON. One of the Ursarings laughed so loud, enough to startle the humans and other POKéMON around.

Ursaring: "That's...! That's a good way to ride along with a false rumor!"

And he went back to laughing, though not as loud as before.

Joseph: "But I wasn't..."

He whispered, but didn't bother ruining his laughter. The Ursaring who asked the question tells him that it doesn't matter what he was before, for he's a POKéMON now, and they will continue to treat him like any other POKéMON. He thanked them.
A few minutes after the humans left, the youngsters resumed playing as the adults were talking about other topics. Often times, Joseph was asked about human stuff, and he just answered them truthfully.
It was a great day for Joseph, for he never had a group to talk with in a long time. Humans are social creatures, he thought, so he does need someone to talk to, and he found it easy being a POKéMON for they are also social creatures, at least, some, he thought. It was also a great day for the four Eevees, for it was the first time they were allowed to play outside their den, and made new friends almost instantly. It's an important part of growing up, an Ursaring tells him, for children need to experience the world and meet new faces and make new friends, although Joseph shivered in fear after the Ursaring continued her speech that predators will often times take them away, but it's part of life, hence why parents should keep a watchful eye on their youngsters. He no longer know if letting them outside the den is a good thing or a bad thing. The Ursaring laughed after noticing Joseph showing a worried expression.
The sun was already setting when Joseph excused himself. The Ursarings thanked him and were looking forward to see him tomorrow. He saw the youngsters, who were asleep on the base of a tree. He was about to wake them up when an Ursaring came up to him and carried the Eevees, and putting them on the Flareon's back. He thanked the female Ursaring, and then he walked towards the exit of the forest. After he was outside the forest, he saw the human's settlement from a distance, and they seem to be preparing a celebration as they were making the place pretty by decorating some flowers as some were dancing around in groups. After a few seconds, he started walking towards the den.
Later that night, the five POKéMON were around their bonfire, and the youngsters are talking about how fun their day was today, as the Flareon just stared outside, where he can see the stars twinkling in the clear evening sky. One of the youngsters suddenly called his attention, making him face them.

Mark: "Hey dad. What were those Ursha---whatever were talking about?"

Joseph: "Hm? Oh, a lot of stuff... I don't think you youngster will find it interesting."

Mark: "No, not that. I mean... About you and a human?"

Joseph: "Oh, that... Well... It's kind of a long story, and..."

Joseph wasn't really into telling them about him yet, but after he saw the four of them adjusted their positions, preparing to listen, he changed his mind.

Joseph: "...and...it's also connected to how I met your mother, and some other friends."

And he tells him a story about him, and his friends: Mark, Steven, Rose and Krystal, and as he tells them the story, he tried his best to remember not to mention about Mark turning into an outlaw and was responsible for his friends' deaths.
After he finished his story, which took him almost an hour, Rose and Steven looked at each other, and then Rose asked Joseph if he was really his father, for the way he told them the story, it sounded like she and Steven were adopted. Though Steven didn't care that much and tells them that he'll still consider Joseph as his father, for after all, he did took care of them. Rose simply gave him a soft slap on his face and tells him that it was sensible, and she agrees to him. Mark then asked the Flareon about what happened to the 'Mark' in the story. He turned his sight outside the den.

Joseph: "I'll continue the story when you're old enough..."

Mark: "What? But I thought that was the end of the story."

Joseph: "Well, true, but I removed some parts of the story."

Steven: "Aw..."

Joseph: "Don't worry. In time, I'll tell you."

Krystal: "Promise?"

That word rang in his head, the very same word Krystal asked him before he left.

In a mountainous place where pillars of rocks are forming way above the trees, a Raikou was jumping from pillar to pillar under the evening sky where the cresent moon shining through a cloudy sky was his only audience. Finally, he landed on the tallest rock pillar in the area, and looked at the surroundings, often times requiring his whole body to turn around, as he is seeking something. A few minutes passed by until he convinced himself that what he seeked was not there, which made him stand still and stared at the horizon; where the darkblue sky and the black ocean meet. He suddenly jumped towards a smaller pillar close by, just in time to dodge a very fierce thunderbolt from the heavens, striking directly to the tallest pillar where the Raikou was standing. The pillar broke and collapse to the earth below. After he landed, he quickly turned his head at the heavens above, roared with his might as he threw a series of thunderbolts from his entire body towards the clouds, where a huge yellow bird POKéMON came out from the clouds and slowly landed on one of the rock pillars, a few distance away from where the Raikou was. The Zapdos was breathing deeply. He was all worn-out, and was ready to collapse, but he was still wearing a smile on his face as he faced the Raikou, who was just standing and looking at him.

Zapdos: "I accept defeat."

The Raikou said nothing, instead, he quickly jumped towards another pillar, working his way towards the Zapdos. He stopped when he reached the nearest pillar where the Zapdos was standing.

Raikou: "You are nothing but a nuisance."

Zapdos: "Say what you will, but I will be back."

Raikou: "No, my friend. I'm tired of this game we're having."

Zapdos: "So you are, are you?"

Raikou: "Indeed. Now, let me end it here."

And after he roared at the Zapdos, he quickly jumped towards him as sparks were flying around his entire body.
Far away from the rock pillars, a human settlement was full of light from the torches, and the humans were dancing and singing, as some were enjoying their little group as they drink and laugh. They're also watching some of the POKéMON who were also dancing with the human dancers.
In a little alleyway between two wooden houses, a Flareon was quietly lying on the ground, watching the whole celebration with four small Eevees; one was on his head, the other lying on the ground in front of him and two were on each of his shoulders. They were enjoying the beat of the music. Some humans who are in the area often notices them, and some throws them a few of their food, and the youngsters would quickly rush to it to pick it up, but instead of eating it, they give it to the Flareon to check if it was okay to eat it. They were supposed to go to sleep, until a Rattata came by their den and told them all about the celebration the humans were having, which made the four young Eevees curious and were convincing the Flareon to go, so instead of enduring their noisy 'please', he took them there after they promised not to make a scene.
After hours of watching, the humans were already getting tired and they slowly went to each of their houses. The Flareon was tired as he slowly walked through the cold and dark grassy plane towards their den as he carried the four sleeping Eevees on his back. After he arrived, he didn't bother putting up their bonfire. He just went straight to the nest, slowly laid his entire body down and went to sleep, leaving the four Eevees sleeping on his back. As he tried to go to sleep, he suddenly remembered something he heard from the human settlement about the princess coming over. As he tried to recall any more details about it, he fell asleep.

"Don't press that button!"

A scientist suddenly shouted as a young male cleaner was wiping a weird machine lying in front of a huge-yet-weird oval-shaped metal frame, standing from the floor, and reaching the height of the ceiling, and it's width reach both sides of the room. He was startled after the scientist broke the silence where he was taking a few minutes resting his head after he solved an equation.

"I don't want another accident to happen here!"

That rang something inside the cleaner's head. He quickly stopped himself from what he was doing and turned to the scientist. He knew that it would be connected to the accident his father had in the same company, but he tried his best to show the scientist a curious face.

"Accident?"

"Yes, an accident. Oh, right... I promised that I'll tell you about it, didn't I?"

He did promise him to tell him all about it as he was cleaning the room, but he didn't bother answering his question after he saw the scientist who quickly shifted from his comfortable position on his chair to a serious-looking scientist where he puts his arms on the desk where he was solving his equations.

"Well then, listen up. That there red button's the power."

The scientist said as he points the red button on the machine where the cleaner was cleaning, and almost accidentally pressed it after he asked the scientist if that was the red button he was talking about.

"Idiot! Don't press it!"

The scientist shouted, startling the cleaner once again. Though he wasn't really going to press it, as he was merely pointing it, but the way he pointed the button made it looked like he was really going to press it. The scientist sighed.

"Anyway, a cleaner, who was more of an idiot than you are, accidentally pressed that button and activated this here warp gate."

The scientist explained as he points at the oval metal frame.

"No one was around except for him, so after he activated the 'gate', he was sucked in, and the instant he was pulled inside the 'gate', the machine broke and we had to fix it once again."

And after a few moments of silence, he stood up and took the pieces of paper on his desk and filed them up neatly, and then he opened his briefcase and puts the papers inside it.

And as the cleaner collected his rugs, mop and bucket, the scientist opened the door and left the room. He stopped in front of the door and took a look at the metal frame, and after a few moments, he turned the lights off and went outside the room.

The Flareon slowly opened his eyes, and in front of his sight were four big Eevee faces staring directily at him.

Steven: "Dad, were you talking while you were sleeping?"

He quickly stood up and stretched his entire body, and after, he faced the four youngsters.

Joseph: "I guess I was."

The four suddenly startled giggling. He wanted to ask what was so funny, but decided not to and invited them to go outside. The sun has already escaped the ocean's embrace, and the sky was already blue. Small and thin white clouds were rolling by. They quickly went towards the forest to have their breakfast. After they entered the forest, the Ursarings noticed them and invited them over. They tossed some stories with each other as they ate some berries. The youngsters were also having a discussion of their own, who were at the center of the circle of Ursarings. An Ursaring then asked everyone if they noticed the noises from the humans last night, and the Flareon shared a story about what he saw there. After he finished, they all started listening to an Ursaring who was going to share a story about a Goldeen and a Magikarp. The story was interrupted when one of the Ursarings invited a Furret and her two siblings. After they joined the group, the story was continued. He was really into the story when he suddenly noticed something behind the bushes. A white fluff was behind the bush not too far away, but when he focused his sight on it, it suddenly disappeared. He excused himself from the group. The storyteller asked if he should hold the story until he comes back, but he insisted to continue it. As he nears the bushes, he looked through a small opening, but he only saw the rest of the forest, but suddenly a pair of golden eyes appeared from the other side of the opening, which startled him a bit.

?: "You're not a very good stalker, are you?"

A feminine voice from the other side of the bushes said.

?: "You're sticking your tail up high."

He looked at his tail, and it was standing up above the bushes. He quickly looked at the opening again, but he can only see the other parts of the forest now. Curiousity got the better of him, so he went around the bush to see who it was, but he found nothing. He thought he was hallucinating, or suffering from hidden hunger, so he decided to eat some berries on the bush where he was peeking, but after he bit a berry, he was startled to see a red head suddenly popping from the edge of his sight, who also picked a berry beside him. He moved away and in front of him was a Flareon. He never actually saw a Flareon, not even his own reflection before, and he was mesmerized by the beauty of the POKéMON in front of him. He loved Flareons so much that it took him a few seconds before realizing his petrification. After he went back to his senses, he shook his head and rubbed his eyes. The Flareon was sitting in front of him, chuckling from his reactions.

Flareon: "Hi."

Joseph: "Uh... Hi...?"

He was feeling a bit nervous, though he wasn't really sure if it was because the Flareon was a beautiful female, or if it was just his admiration of seeing a Flareon. He felt his heart was pounding slow yet hard. He didn't even notice that he was blushing.

Flareon: "You're the first of our kind that I saw around this part of the forest. What's your name?"

Joseph: "J-J-Jo-Joseph..."

Flareon: "Joseph, huh? A weird name for a Flareon, but it's a nice name. My name's Vixie."

Joseph: "V-Vixie..."

She suddenly started to laugh a bit.

Vixie: "Stop blushing. You're turning way too red."

He was surprised that she mentioned that he was blushing. He quickly shook his head again, and took deep breaths, and after calming himself a bit, he faced her.

Vixie: "Much better."

She quickly stood up and puts her nose on his neck, sniffing his scent. He was all rather neutral to what she was doing, however, so after she had his scent, he puts his nose on her neck, trying his best not to think of anything stupid. Afterwards, he thanked her.

Vixie: "For what?"

Joseph couldn't really answer, for he also had no idea why he thanked her, but a sudden thought hit him that he should immediately think of a reason, but he couldn't think of one, so instead, he just apologised. She gave him a weird expression.

He turned his sight on the ground as an evil hammer was hammering him inside his thoughts about how embarrassing it was. He later faced her.

Joseph: "So, yeah... Anyway, can I help you?"

Vixie: "Well, now that you mention it, I do need a place to stay."

'A place to stay?', a question in his head that he wanted to ask, but didn't bother to let is escape from his mouth, so instead, he asked her another question.

Joseph: "Uh... Well, may I ask why you're here?"

Vixie: "What else, to look for a mate."

Joseph: "A mate...?"

He suddenly thought about the stray dogs in his neighborhood when he was still living with his mom and dad. By this time, he was already as calm as he could be.

Joseph: "Why is a female looking for a mate? Shouldn't it be males to look for one?"

'I shouldn't have asked that second question', he suddenly thought after he finished what he just said. The female Flareon suddenly wore a smile on her face.

Vixie: "True, but I don't like the male Jolteons and Vaporeons in the herd where I used to live. They're all so stingy and their pride goes over their heads, so I decided to find one that I find interesting."

Joseph: "I see..."

He was about to ask her another question when her words rang around his head once more.

Joseph: "Wait..."

He said with a surprised expression.

Joseph: "I'm... I'm with someone already...!"

Vixie: "Oh, you're lying."

She said with a smile. 'Lying', he thought. Why would he lie? More importantly, if she knew that he's living alone with four Eevees, how did she knew that he has no partner in life? He nervously asked her why she said he was lying.

Vixie: "Huh? Your scent, silly."

Joseph: "My scent?"

Vixie: "Yep, your scent told me your single, and available."

And she followed it with a wink. Although it's true he's single, and worst, available, he wasn't looking for a partner, for he believes that one should only be with one love, even though they're no longer there. He took a deep breath and sighed it all out.

Joseph: "It's true I'm not with someone, but I still love her... So..."

Vixie: "Huh? What happened?"

Joseph: "Well, it's kind of a long story, but to shorten it to the point, she's...well...gone..."

Vixie: "Oh..."

She felt sorry for him, so she pats his head, which he quickly removed himself from her paw's reach in annoyance.

Joseph: "Stop it. You're making me feel worse..."

An odd silence flew around. Joseph wasn't looking at her though. He was just staring at the berry on the ground. He suddenly faced her after he heard her said something.

Vixie: "Hey, you shouldn't really dwell on the past..."

Joseph: "I'm not..."

Though he had no idea what the word 'dwell' meant.

Vixie: "Yes you are..."

Joseph: "Fine... I guess I am... I suppose I can't help it..."

Vixie: "You need to get over it. It's not really healthy for you."

He thought about what she said for a moment. He thought that maybe it was the reason why he wasn't really eating much lately. He sighed.

Vixie: "Give yourself a chance to be free from your past."

Her words gave him thoughts about Krystal, Steven and Rose, and also about his mother, about him leaving her behind. Although he thought he can quickly remove the 'dwelling' part, he can't just simply forget about his mother. He suddenly thought about his dad, who is probably lost in the POKéMON world. That gave him another thought, about his dad. If Vixie is from another herd of Eevees, then she must know something.

Joseph: "Hey, a sudden change of topic, but do you anyone by the name of Eric?"

Vixie: "Huh? Eric? No, I don't think I know someone who has a name like that. Why'd you ask?"

Joseph: "He's my dad... I haven't seen him in four long years..."

She was about to ask what happened when they overheard the loud laughs of the Ursarings. She cursed a bit about her forgetting the question she was about to ask.

Vixie: "But anyway, you have a lot of problems. You should really let all of those problems go, and look ahead."

'Easy for you to say', he thought, but he just replied with a sigh. Another odd silence flew by until he quickly felt her soft paws slapping him on his face. It didn't really hurt that much, but the sudden random slap annoyed him. He looked at her smiling face in annoyance, and was about to say something when she followed it with another slap. Everything in his mind were suddenly changed into revenge, not in a bad way, at least. She quickly ran away. He didn't want to let her go without revenge, so he chased after her. She was enjoying their little chase, and quickly turned to her left to hide behind a tree, but she was surprised to hear him from the other side of the tree.

Joseph: "You forgot that I can follow your scent!"

As she quickly turned to face him, he quickly jumped at her, pushing her down to the ground, and she landed on her back while he landed on her body, and after, they laughed at each other. She couldn't resist but to lick him; from his mouth to the bottom tip of his nose. He was annoyed by another sudden and random act. He moved away from her, but as he wiped his mouth with his paw, he quickly remembered what a lick meant. If it wasn't an attack, then it meant a kiss. She slowly went back on her feet as she noticed him blushing, yet wearing a sad expression, looking down on the ground.

Vixie: "Hey, what's wrong?"

He couldn't answer her. He's busy thinking about what would Krystal say if he suddenly fell in love with another female. That would have been the worst thing he could do to her. What would the four Eevees say? What would everyone say? After he heard her asking him what was wrong, he faced her.

Joseph: "Is this right?"

Vixie: "What is?"

Joseph: "I mean, I do like you, even though we just met, but..."

'Why did I tell her that I suddenly like her?', he asked himself in his thoughts as his heart was starting to pound hard. She was waiting for him to finish what he was saying, but after a few moments of silence, she took a deep breath.

Vixie: "Hey... Ever heard about the saying that 'love doesn't die'?"

He wondered why she suddenly mentioned those group of words. It wouldn't help him to convince himself to accept her. He wanted to reply, but decided to wait for the continuation of her words after he saw her mouth preparing a few words.

Vixie: "Well, if you lost the love of someone you love, that love won't fade, nor die. It changes into a new form of love..."

'A new form of love', he thought.

Vixie: "That's why you should try and let go of the past, so those feelings start to change, and become a new form."

Although it made some sense, he couldn't help but wear a smile after a random-and-silly idea popped in his head.

Joseph: "So... If I forget something that made me itch, it'll transform into another form that will also make me itch sooner or later...?"

She couldn't answer him straight away, though it made her smile a bit however. He apologised for the sudden random joke. He suddenly thought about his four young Eevees.

Joseph: "But you know... I have...kids... Four of them, to be exact..."

Vixie: "Really?"

He was expecting to see a disappointed look on her face, but he was a bit confused to see her with a smile.

Vixie: "Then you're a great dad."

Joseph: "Uh, thanks... I guess...?"

Vixie: "Really, but you look a bit skinny, though..."

Joseph: "I'm not really eating much lately... I don't know why, but I guess, like you said, I was...'dwelling'...on my past..."

Vixie: "The more reason you should stop."

Joseph: "Pardon...?"

Vixie: "'cause if you'll keep that up, your little kids will start to worry about you."

He never thought about that fact up until now. She was right, he thought. For his kids, he should try to slowly stop thinking about what happened in the past. He suddenly wished the same for his mom, though.

Joseph: "A lost love, forming to a new love, huh...?"

Vixie: "Hm?"

Joseph: "Nothing... Nevermind... Anyway, I guess you're right... I've been stressing myself about the past lately... And you're right. For my...kids... I should take care of myself as well..."

She was happy to hear him say those. He suddenly thought about if it was alright to accept her, though. He's starting to have some doubts, for he just met her. To humans, at least, to him, it would be really really really awkward. It would be like, meeting a random yet pretty girl from out of the blue, and she suddenly asked you to be her boyfriend, but he thought, in modern days in his world, any boy would quickly accept, but he was raised differently, so he finds it awkward. He sighed after realizing that he couldn't make up his mind. He suddenly tells her that he needs to get back to see his children, and invites her to come with him, for she did asked for a place to stay. She was happy about the offer, and they both walked back while they were talking. She then asked him about the rumor she heard when she arrived here; about a Flareon who was once a human. She asked if the Flareon was him, and he quickly told her that it was him, though he noted that he still couldn't remember how he turned into a POKéMON. She was surprised at first, but she began asking him a lot of random stuff about humans. He just tried his best to answer each of her questions.
Later, they arrived at the bush where they met, and behind it were the herd of Ursarings, still sharing stories to each other. He was a bit nervous to introduce her to them, but after he took a few deep breaths, he was startled by a shout.

Mark: "DAD!"

The voice came from behind them, and after they turned around, they saw four Eevees with an Ursaring, and the youngsters suddenly started running towards him, who quickly jumped towards him, tackling him down to the ground, and as the others were biting his ear, Mark went in front of his face.

Mark: "Dad! Where did you go off to!? We were getting worried!"

Joseph: "That's my line!"

The others got off of their father and faced the other Flareon, who was smiling.

Rose: "Who's this?"

Steven looked back at his dad, and then at the female Flareon, and then back to his dad, and back to the female Flareon.

Steven: "Aha! So that's it!"

And Steven looked at his dad with an evil smile.

Steven: "You were on a date, weren't you..."

He asked his dad with an evil tone of his voice. Joseph blushed all over and quickly stood up. 'Where the heck did you learn that', he asked himself in his thoughts.
The others also started giving him the evil smile. He asked them to stop, which they did after throwing a few teases at their father. The Ursaring approached them, who was also giving him an evil smile, and a thumbs up. He just gave the female Ursaring an evil stare.

Krystal: "I don't mind having a mother. It'll be fun!"

Joseph: "Eh?"

Rose: "No complaints here."

Mark and Steven: "Yay! We have a mom!"

'I can't believe you guys... We just met!', he whispered to himself as the four Eevees were having a conversation with Vixie. They later went back to the Ursarings and he introduced her to them, which, as he thought, would start teasing him, though the female Ursarings congratulated him while the others wished them for the best.
Later that evening, they were inside the den. Their bonfire was giving off enough light for them to see everything inside. The fours Eevees were already deep in their sleep, for it was already very late. Joseph and Vixie were lying side-by side, and the four sleeping Eevees were in front of them. Rose was using Vixie's paw as a pillow.

Vixie: "They're very lucky to have a dad like you."

Joseph: "What do you mean?"

Vixie: "Usually, the males of our kind will never attempt to take care of their own children, especially if they're all by themselves."

Joseph: "Maybe it's different in each herd...?"

Vixie: "Maybe... My dad left me when I was still a cub after my mom died. So I lived by myself in our herd until I evolved."

Joseph: "I'm sorry to hear that..."

Vixie: "Don't be. It's in the past now."

The words she said made him remember what Rose said. He thought that Rose really put her past behind her, and it helped her became a very great Vaporeon. He then suddenly thought about Mark, but tried his best to stop thinking about it.

Vixie: "That reminds me... What about your dad?"

Joseph: "Huh? What about him?"

Vixie: "Well, you said you never saw him for four years, right?"

Joseph: "Yes."

Vixie: "Did he left you?"

Joseph: "No, not really. He had an accident. I haven't seen him since them. I don't know what happened, but I think I have an idea of what might have happened."

Vixie: "I see. You're dad's lucky then, to have you looking for him."

Joseph: "Well, I haven't really made great progress with the search..."

Vixie: "Don't feel bad. I'm sure he'll understand."

Joseph: "Thanks."

He saw her yawn, and after, she looked at him with a sleepy face.

Vixie: "Well, g'night."

And she gave him a small lick on his cheek and laid her head on the nest close to Rose and went to sleep. Although it was a great feeling to be kissed, it's still a bit weird to be licked by someone, so he wiped his cheek with his paw and went to sleep.

The morning has already greeted the land of Kinah, and two Flareons and four Eevees just entered the nearest forest from their den. Three happy Teddiursas came towards them, and invited the Eevees to play. The youngsters then ran around the forest. Joseph was about to walk towards the Ursarings, but he suddenly found his ear being bitten by Vixie.

Joseph: "Awowowow...!"

Vixie: "I ffinally ghoth you allf alone. You're mine."

She said as she pulled his ear back to their den. The Ursarings who saw them laughed and waved them goodbye. They finally arrived in front of the den, where she finally let his ear go. He quickly shook his head, and tried his best not to get angry.

Joseph: "What gives...!?"

But she just gave him a smile.

Vixie: "Now that they're gone, I finally have you all by myself."

He suddenly shivered and felt cold all around his entire body, even though it was a bit hot. He knew what she was planning to do, but he didn't think she would do this sooner than today.

Joseph: "Can't we, uh, do this, in another day...?"

Vixie: "Nope! I don't know about humans, but since you're an attractive male POKéMON..."

She paused as she wagged her tail. He was about to say something that hopefully can make her change her mind, but she quickly bit his ear again and dragged him inside. Afterwards, she quickly lets it go and went to the nest, and gave him a wink before she lied her body there. Joseph sighed and sat beside her.

Vixie: "Ready?"

Joseph: "Not sure..."

He replied as he looked down and stared at the nest. He looked at her again where her expression changed from being excited to a frown.

Vixie: "What's wrong?"

Joseph: "Well... I think I'm too young for this..."

She suddenly gave him a smile.

Vixie: "Not really. Your scent gives off an adult-and-cute Flareon."

Joseph: "Well..."

Vixie: "And not to mention that you're already a father of four."

He turned his sight away from her as he blushed.

Vixie: "And you dare say you're 'too young' for this?"

She laughed. That made him feel a bit annoyed, but she has a good point, he thought. He faced her, trying his best to smile, at least. Vixie then slowly puts her face near his, and stopped when their noses touched each other. Joseph really haven't experienced facing a female this close in the face. All he could see are her golden brown eyes, mirroring his reflection.

Vixie: "You're blushing again."

She whispered. That snapped him back to his senses and quickly shook his head.

Joseph: "I couldn't really help it..."

Vixie: "Why not express what you feel? I've been doing that to you, yet you're not doing it to me, so, you're quite unfair."

She said with a smile with her eyes closed. He looked at her, and tried to feel if he really does feel something towards her. She does look attractive for a Flareon, but he thought that his mind was deciding what he feels toward her, so he tried to feel his heart. He was a bit surprised that he just felt his heart beating loud and fast, as if he could hear it echoing inside him. He then wondered if it's because of what she wants them to do, or if it's because he likes her. He gave her a smile.

Joseph: "I... I like you."

Vixie: "Oh, you said that already. 'Member?"

Joseph: "Will uh... Will a kiss do?"

He asked while blushing, which surprised Vixie a bit. He noticed her blushing a bit.

Vixie: "I...haven't really felt a kiss before. I guess that would suffice. After all, I did...kiss...you yesterday..."

She deeply blushed while turning his sight away from him. Although licking someone on the cheek sounded easy at first for him, and he was a bit determined to do it to her, he started to feel nervous after seeing her blush like that, but it was his chance, to at least show her how he really likes her. His heart started to pound harder as he slowly moved his head near hers, who was still looking away from him, and when he was in reach, he closed his eyes and gave her a small lick on her cheek. The thought of licking someone startled his thoughts a bit, though he couldn't help, being human before. He suddenly opened his eyes after he felt her kissed him on his mouth. Now the thought of being licked rumbled on his head, so his reflex quickly moved in, as he wiped his mouth with his paw.

They stared at each other for a while as their cheeks blushed.
Meanwhile, the youngsters were forming a circle as they ate berries with the Teddiursas, just beside the circle of the Ursarings. Steven noticed that the two Flareons weren't around, and he was about to go back to the den when he was stopped by a giant hand in front of him. He looked at the owner of that hand, which was from an Ursaring.

Ursaring: "Give them some private time, son."

She said with a smile. He was confused, but he decided to go back to the circle.

Steven: "I wonder what she meant..."

Mark: "By what?"

Mark asked while chewing a berry as Steven sat down.

Steven: "Mom and Dad aren't here. The Ursaring said that I should let them have some private time."

Mark: "Oh, that. Well, I don't know... Maybe we should, I guess..."

Krystal: "I saw them, but mom bit dad's ear and they went back to the den, I think."

Nancy: "If you ask me, they're probably making eggs."

Nancy, a Teddiursa, said, as she picked a berry with her hand. Steven and Mark spits out the berries they were eating on the pile of berries. The others quickly jumped away as they were grossed out, and after, they got angry at the two boys. They had no choice but to collect some berries again. Steven and Mark were picking on the same bush.

Mark: "I wonder what she meant by mom and dad making eggs..."

Steven: "Well, you and Krystal came out from eggs. Rose and I saw you hatch."

Mark: "Eh? So, does that mean we're going to have another brother?"

Steven: "Or sister, or both. I wonder how they make eggs."

Mark: "Beats me. But I want to have another brother."

Steven: "Really, why?"

Mark: "Girls are annoying, if you know what I mean."

Krystal, Rose and Nancy: "We heard that!"

The three female youngsters shouted in unison, who were picking berries nearby. Soon, they've gathered enough berries where they can resume eating. They formed a circle around the berries beside the circling Ursarings, and the others asked Mark and Steven not to spit on the berries again. Steven asked Nancy about what she said earlier.

A male Teddiursa said while chewing a berry. Mark and Steven looked at each other while eating berries, but decided not to say a word. Rose then broke the silence by making a topic they can talk about. After a while, Mark looked behind him and saw a Flareon who was about to enter the forest.

Mark: "Hey, look! Dad's back!"

And he quickly took another berry before running towards his father. The other three ran after him. Joseph, who just entered the forest, saw them running towards him, so he decided to stop and sit on the ground. The youngsters stopped in front of their father.

Steven: "Hey dad."

Krystal: "Hi dad!"

Mark: "Dad, so what happened?"

Before he answered, he noticed the circle of Ursarings calling his attention through their hands, as they were trying to tell him 'good job'. He turned his sight back to the Eevees, gave them a smile and tried his best not to focus on the Ursarings.

Joseph: "Well, uh... Nothing, really..."

He paused for a while to think of something, but he can't think of anything.

Rose looked at Mark, who was also looking at her, as she was giving him an evil glare.

Mark: "Alright, alright..."

Mark then faced Steven who was beside him and whispered.

Mark: "See? I told you girls are annoying."

Steven: "I see your point..."

Krystal was on Mark's other side, but ignored what they were whispering about. She looked at her dad who was scratching behind his left ear with his right front paw.

Krystal: "So dad, where's mom?"

Joseph: "Hm? Oh, she's inside the den, resting."

Mark: "I bet what mom and dad did was very tiresome..."

Steven: "I agree..."

Mark and Steven whispered to each other, which was loud enough for Joseph to hear, but pretended that he didn't hear them. Later, he heard a faint sound of footsteps from afar. He looked outside the forest and stared at the humans' settlement. The four Eevees wandered what he was looking at, so they took a look as well. A large group of human knights were walking towards the settlement, where they're surrounding a carriage being pulled by six Rapidashes. As they were approaching, they noticed the humans in the settlement, forming a large crowd, which are going to welcome the new arrivals. Joseph remembered something which he thought out loud.

Joseph: "That must be the princess inside that carriage."

Rose: "Princess?"

He faced the four youngsters, who also faced him.

Steven: "And what's a carriage?"

Joseph: "Well, first, a princess is the daughter of a king and queen. A king is a male ruler of the land of humans, while the queen is the king's wif---partner."

He then later looked at the army of humans while three Teddiursas joined the four Eevees. He asked them if they can see the thing the Rapidashes were pulling, and all of them said yes. He was a bit startled to hear the Teddiursas' voices, but decided to continue his explanation as he faced them.

Joseph: "That's a carriage. It's usually used by humans for transportation if they want to hide from the weather during a travel."

Mark: "So, the princess is inside that carriage-thing?"

Joseph: "Yeah, I suppose so."

Lhand: "Why would a large crowd want to meet a princess?"

Joseph: "Well, she is the daughter of their ruler, so I guess she's bringing their rulers blessing for their new home over there."

Rose: "That makes no sense..."

Joseph: "I know, I know... It's how they do things..."

Rose then looked at her dad.

Rose: "Do you do that as well?"

Joseph: "Huh? No, of course. I don't really care what position the person holds. I treat them all the same, well, except if they are part of my life."

Krystal: "Dad, if you were once human, does that mean we're humans as well?"

Joseph: "Eheheh... Well, no, of course not."

Mark: "Really dad? 'Cause sometimes I feel weird about myself..."

Nancy: "You don't look weird."

Mark: "Really?"

Lhand: "Of course. I met other Eevees before, and they look just like you."

Vixie suddenly arrived and sat beside Joseph, who then gave him a quick lick on his cheek. She then faced the youngsters.

Steven: "Hi mom!"

Rose, Krystal and Mark: "Hi mom!"

Vixie: "Hello. Sorry if I took your father earlier."

And she followed it with a chuckle. Joseph blushed as he wiped his cheek with his paw. She then faced him.

Vixie: "Why do you always wipe it off?"

Joseph: "I'm still not used to it..."

Vixie: "You will, in time."

And she gave him a wink. The youngsters just quietly stuck their tongue out in disgust. The Teddirusas then started to walk back to their circle, and Krystal and Rose followed them. Steven was about to follow when he heard Mark's voice behind him.

Mark: "Hey, dad. Were you and mom making eggs?"

The sudden question gave the two Flareons a surprised expression, and both quickly looked at each other, finding out that both of them were blushing. They find if a bit difficult to answer Mark's question. Joseph then looked at him with an embarrassed smile on his face.

Joseph: "Well..."

He found it difficult to say it, so he just nodded his head. He noticed that Mark was about to ask another question, so he quickly stopped him.

Joseph: "It's something you'll learn, in time."

Mark: "Aw... That would take a while, wouldn't it...?"

Both Flareons nodded their heads. They later went to the forest.
The large group of knights stopped in front of the large crowd of settlers. The carriage then stopped and a knight quickly went to open the carriage's door. Another knight came and lifted his hand to a young girl who was inside, who grabbed a hold on the knight's hand, and went out of the carriage. The princess wore a white gown, and a silver crown was on her head. She has golden hair, and has a light brown skin tone. She's around nine to twelve years old. She looked at the knight who bowed at her, and she bowed to him as well. The knight extends his hand again, but it was slapped by another girl who was inside, and just stepped out of the carriage on her own. Just like the girl who first came out from the carriage, she also wore a white gown, she has golden hair, and has a light brown skin tone, and also wore a silver crown, but she's much taller, and she's around fifteen to eighteen years of age. The crowd clapped their hands as they saw in front of them the princesses of Lord Johto. The young princess waved her hand at them, while the other just crossed her arms, and payed them no mind.

Knight: "Princess Alice and Princess Alicia, this way please."

A knight went in front of the princesses and bowed at them, and later escorted them to the town. At the center of the town stood a little wooden stage, and the escorted princesses were heading towards it. The young Princess was happily looking around as she walked while the other just had her sight on the wooden stage while blocking the sun's light from touching her head with her white fan.

Alice: "This is a very nice place."

Alicia: "Hmph. For peasants, maybe. Let's just finish this so we can be on our way."

Alice: "But, aren't you going to watch them celebrate? I heard they will be dancing. I'm really looking forward to it."

Alicia: "I don't give a damn! I want to finish this quick so I can get myself a nice bath! This place is hot like hell!"

Alice: "Big sis, mind your tongue..."

Alicia: "Don't tell me what to do. Mom's not here so I can say what I want."

Alice just sighed as they were going to stand on the stage. The princesses quickly faced the crowd.

Alice: "Hello everyone. Today, we bless this town in the name of our father, the king of the land."

She then later raised her hand to the heavens, and poked her sister with her other hand. Alicia was annoyed, but decided to raise her hand as well so they can be done with it. The crowd cheered. Both princesses later puts their hands down.

Alicia: "Sigh... The king has given this town a name. It will be named Violet Town."

An hour passed noon, Alicia went inside the carriage and was bored as she stared at the forest, waiting for the celebration to be over. She suddenly heard her sister's voice, calling her from outside.

Alicia: "Oh, good. Is it over already?"

Alice: "No, not yet."

Alicia: "What do you want?"

Alice: "Aren't you coming? Their dance was really good."

Alicia: "I'd rather die here than go out there..."

Alice: "Oh, hey, I know! Let's go to the forest!"

Alicia: "What for?"

Alice: "Remember that rumor I told you about?"

Alicia: "Oh, goodness me... Not this again."

Alicia quickly moves her head closer to the window where her sister was calling her.

Alice: "They said that it's near that forest."

And Alice points at a forest west from the town. From where they're standing, the forest is too far away.

Later, the princesses were each riding on a Rapidash, and behind them were two knights, who were also riding Rapidashes. The princesses were on the front, and behind them were the knights, and they were heading to a forest.

Alicia: "I can't believe I'm going to a disgusting forest...!"

Alice: "Don't be like that, sis. I'm sure you're excited as I am."

Alicia: "As if...! Can't we just make these POKéMON run towards the forest?"

Alice: "Ruby is a bit tired from pulling the carriage, right?"

And Alice pats the mane of the Rapidash she was riding on.

Alicia: "Ruby-who?"

Alice: "The Rapidash. That's her name."

Alicia: "You're naming POKéMON now?"

Alice: "No, not really. That is her name. I asked her."

Alicia: "Ohhh..."

She replied with a sarcastic tone on her voice, though Alice didn't mind her.

Alice: "Anyway, we're almost there."

Alicia: "I can't believe you're blind as well...! It's still too far away, and if we keep this pace up, it'll take us an eternity!"

Alice: "Oh, you're exaggerating... Besides, the sun is good for us."

Alicia: "Good for you, maybe...! I'm having a heatstroke here...!"

A few minutes later and they're already on the foot of a small hill, where above the hill is the forest where they're going. Alicia was a bit behind Alice, who was leading the way, and she can't help but notice her little sister talking to the Rapidash. After they started going up the hill, she decided to break the silence.

Alicia: "Hey, Alice."

Alice: "Hm?"

She looked back at her sister.

Alicia: "When are you going to stop talking to POKéMON? You know, mom and dad are worried about you."

Alice: "Why's that?"

Alicia: "I mean, you're talking to POKéMON, LITERALLY! And you act as though you could understand them."

Alice: "But I can understand them..."

Alicia: "You're really not planning on stopping this whole act, are you?"

Alice: "But I'm not making this up...!"

Alicia: "Yeah, yeah. Sure. Just think about it. Ever since we were young, you never talked to anyone except for POKéMON. You don't make friends with others."

Alice: "But I don't like those boys. They're too proud of their wealth, and they're very mean to the poor children..."

Alicia: "But of course! They're peasants, afterall, so it's natural that we shouldn't mingle with the likes of them."

Alice: "Don't talk to them like that. They have feelings too, y'know..."

Alicia: "I could care less about them. They're peasants and they should be treated like dirt."

Alice was getting annoyed at her older sister, but decided not to say another word and just took her sight on the forest up ahead. Later, outside the forest, a Flareon came out along with two Ursarings, startling Alicia and forcing her Rapidash to stop. The knights prepared their swqords, but Alice told them to put their swords back as she went off of the Rapidash. She slowly walked towards the three wild POKéMON, but suddenly stopped after she heard the knights footsteps' behind her. She quickly turned around and asked them not to follow, but the knights told her that their duty is to protect her, but she insisted, and her sister, who was behind the knights, told them to leave her be. She resumed approaching the three POKéMON.

Ursaring: "A little girl will be easy to kill."

Flareon: "Even so, let's not make the first move. She asked those knights to stay back, so it probably means that she won't harm us."

And Alice has arrived in front of the three POKéMON. One of the Ursarings scratched an itch on its back. She kneeled down to face the Flareon, who was easier to look at than the scary-looking Ursarings.

Alice: "Hello."

The Flareon was puzzled, for he thought that humans couldn't really understand POKéMON.

Ursaring: "I think she's talking to you."

An Ursaring said as he poked the Flareon's back.

Flareon: "Yes, I can see that. I don't think she'll understand even if I'll say hi."

Alice: "That's a bit rude of you..."

That startled the Flareon a bit. The girl's Rapidash just arrived behind the girl.

Ruby: "Ah, Joseph. Good to see you."

Joseph: "Oh, hi. Um... Ruby, right?"

Ruby: "I'm glad that you still remember me."

The girl looked at her Rapidash, and then back at the Flareon.

Alice: "Oh, so you've met. That's nice."

Joseph: "Er... Yes...?"

Although he still thought she can't understand them, he randomly answered her question, to try and see if she can understand. He suddenly noticed Ruby smiling.

Alice: "Anyway, I'm Alice. Nice to meet you, Joseph, right?"

Joseph: "Ooookkkaaayyy... This is weird..."

He quickly looked around, and noticed the Ursarings whispering to each other. Suddenly, the girl's sister, who was riding on her Rapidash, arrived beside her Rapidash.

Alicia: "Alice, can we go now?"

Alice: "What? So soon?"

Joseph: "You're James, right?"

The Flareon asked Alicia's Rapidash, who simply nodded his head. He then faced Ruby.

Joseph: "Is it just me, or can this girl in front of me really understand us...?"

Alice: "I can understand you."

Alice answered his question with an annoyed tone of her voice. He quickly faced her with a doubtful look on his face.

Joseph: "Really?"

Alice: "Of course. Try me."

Joseph: "Okay... One plus one..."

Alice: "Two."

Joseph: "Okay, I believe you..."

The Flareon said with a weird expression. Alicia sighed in annoyance and went down the hill.

Alicia: "I'm going back to the carriage!"

She shouted as one of the knights followed her sister. Alice quickly stood up and looked at her sister, who was already moving away.

Alice: "Sis...! Don't go!"

Alicia: "I'll be expecting you before sundown!"

Alice sighed as she turned to face the Flareon again. The Ursarings slowly went back inside the forest as a young Eevee ran towards the Flareon and stopped behind him. He quickly turned his head to face the Eevee.

Joseph: "Mark, I told you to stay inside...!"

Mark: "Um... I can't help it."

Joseph: "Sigh... Fine."

Alice: "Oh, hello there. Don't worry, I won't hurt you."

Joseph: "You better not hurt him."

Alice: "I promise I won't."

Mark: "Dad... Can she really understand us? I thought you said humans are dumb to understa---"

The Flareon quickly covered Mark's mouth with his paw, and Alice gave them an angry look.

Alice: "We're not dumb."

Joseph: "I'm sorry."

He removed his paw from Mark's mouth and faced the girl.

Joseph: "Okay, so I'm convinced now that you can understand us. Now, may I ask why you're here?"

Alice: "Well, I was really looking forward to come here after Ruby told me about a rumor of a Flareon who was once a human."

Joseph: "So you came here for that? You do realize the dangers your putting yourself into, right?"

Alice: "I can manage."

Joseph: "Sure you can..."

He said sarcastically.

Joseph: "Anyway, you're facing the rumor."

Alice was surprised, but was a bit doubtful.

Alice: "Really? You're the Flareon from the rumor?"

Joseph: "Yes. Can you go away now? Your presence is a bit of a distraction around these parts of the forest."

Alice: "Oh? Did you just lie to me just so I could go away?"

She asked with a smile. Joseph just gave her an angry stare.

Joseph: "Try me."

After, he answered a couple of human-related questions Alice threw at him. Later, she was convinced that the Flareon she's facing really is the one from the rumor. An Ursaring who was eavesdropping their conversation came out from the forest and invited her over to their circle. She gladly accepted the offer, though the Flareon asked if it was really alright. At first, the POKéMON around the area, especially in the circle, were a bit silent with her around, but after a while, they started to convinced themselves that she can really understand them, and she posses no threat to them, so as they ate berries, they threw stories. She sat beside Joseph while she has the four Eevees on her lap, patting Steven on his head. On her other side was her Rapidash. The knight just sat outside the forest beside his Rapidash, who was also lying on the ground and was sleeping. The knight was leaning on a tree as he removed his helmet and relaxed himself. He later noticed a Pidgey landing on his knee, and on the bird's beak was a berry. The Pidgey gave the berry to him, and quickly flew away.
Later, the sun was about to set, and she said her farewell to the POKéMON. The knight noticed her coming out, so he quickly wore his helmet and woke his Rapidash up. After she and Ruby got out, she rode behind her and she was about to ask Ruby to go back to Violet Town when she heard Joseph calling her. She looked behind and saw him coming out of the forest.

Joseph: "Hey um... I apologize for my behaviour earlier."

Alice: "It's alright."

She said with a smile.

Alice: "Oh yes, I completely forgot..."

She got off the Rapidash and kneeled down in front of the Flareon, who sat on the ground.

Alice: "I forgot to tell you about the other reason why I came here."

Joseph: "What is it?"

After he asked, he noticed a few footsteps behind him. Soon, Vixie sat beside him and the four Eevees lied down on the ground in front of the two Flareons, facing the human princess.

Alice: "I have a Flareon back home, and he really wanted to see you, unfortunately, he's in charge of cooking our meals."

Joseph: "A...Flareon...is your royal chef...?"

Alice: "Oh, but he cooks really great."

He suddenly thought about his dad, who was also great at cooking, especially his fish stew, which was the best. He couldn't help but think that it would probably be his dad Alice is talking about, especially the part that she said that the Flareon really wanted to see him.

Joseph: "His name... Do you know his name...?"

Alice: "M-hmm. He said his name's Eric."

He was really shocked to hear his dad's name coming out from her mouth. He can finally meet his dad, or so he thought, but he wondered how to get there, now that he has a family to protect.

Alice: "You can come with me and meet him if you want."

He thought about it for a moment. After a few minutes, he sighed.

Joseph: "I'd love to... I really do, but..."

Vixie: "Sure. We'll go."

Joseph was a bit surprised to hear Vixie wanting to go.

Vixie: "Well, she is the princess, right. So, of course, there won't be any trouble coming our way if we'll go with her."

Joseph: "You have a point..."

But he's still not sure. He's afraid of the things that might happen if they're there, though his four Eevees want to go as well. He was about to say something when Mark and Rose quickly promised that they'll behave and won't make a scene.

Joseph: "You guys really want to go, huh?"

And the five said yes in unison. He sighed and agreed, since he can't win an argument against them if all five of them agree while he's the only who's not. Alice was happy to hear that they're coming along, though she warned them that it'll take them a few hours to get there, but Vixie and the four Eevees didn't mind. Joseph just sighed. Alice then rode on Ruby as Mark and Steven rode on their father's back, while Rose and Krystal rode on their mother's back. They then began walking towards Violet Town.

In the silence of the clear, moonless evening sky, a number of dim lights were shining in the middle of the black ocean a few distance away from a sleeping village on the shore. Those lights were coming from a number of fishing boats, where fishermen were casting their nets on the ocean. On one of the boats was a boy, five or six years of age, who was sitting on the rear end of the boat, quietly fishing with a long stick, tied by a string and on the other end was a hook, which was floating on the water, and with him was a man, who was busy casting his net. He stuck an earthworm he got earlier that afternoon, but now, he's wondering if the worm was already dead, and if it was, then that's probably why he's not getting any fish.

"Dad, will I ever catch a fish this way?"

"Don't lose hope, son. You will. I'm sure of it."

"But it's taking forever too---"

And suddenly, the stick he was holding on was pulled down towards the ocean, but he was quick enough to grab it before it completely fell. He stood up as he tried to pull the fish, which was still pulling the pole down, and was still invisible. His dad stopped and looked at his struggling child, wearing a supportive smile on his face as he cheered for him. After a few minutes of struggle, he finally pulled the fish out of the water, and after a moment of silence, his dad roared in laughter.

"Great job, son! You caught a big one!"

The child could not believe his eyes. He caught a large fish for his first time fishing. His dad gave him a big pat on his head has he puts a bucket under the fish, and he slowly puts the fish down.

"After we get back, I'll teach you how to cook this, son."

"Aw... I wanted you to cook it!"

"Now now, it's about time I share my cooking talent with you, son! You'll be as good as me, one day, y'know!"

The child's face showed a really big smile as his dad sat beside him, who couldn't stop himself from praising his son.

A sudden big bump on the road made everyone inside the carriage jump in the air for a short while before they landed from where they were, which woke Joseph up. He quickly looked around and found himself lying on one of the wide chairs inside. He looked at the other wide chair in front from where he was on, and saw Alice sleeping, her head lying on Vixie's back, while Mark and Steven where sleeping near their mother's head. He looked at his back and he saw the other two Eevees lying on his back, and Alicia was also on the same chair, and her head was lying on his tail. He smiled a bit after he remembered that evening when they arrived. Alicia was furious at her sister for bringing filthy POKéMON with her. They had a 'little' argument whether they can go or not, but Alice won that argument and Alicia had no choice but to bear it. When they started moving, at first, Vixie and the other Eevees complained how rough and bumpy the whole carriage was. Joseph and Alice had to explain that the road was full of rocks, so the carriage acts like that. Mark and Rose were really annoyed at first, but they got the hang of it a few minutes later. Alicia was painting a really bad mood all over her face. She was mumbling about something that they can't understand, and at some point, Joseph had to growl at her to make her shut up, for it was starting to annoy him. Eventually, a few hours passed and everyone fell asleep. Alicia was sitting while sleeping, but suddenly dropped her body when the carriage hit a bump and she landed on Joseph's tail. It surprised him for a moment, but he didn't bother moving his tail away from her, for he was really sleepy at that moment. Now that he's awake, and a bit sleepy, he didn't mind her sleeping on his tail. He suddenly heard Vixie's yawn, and after, she stood with her two front paws, and rubbed her eyes with one of her paw. After, she noticed Joseph's eyes were wide open and was looking at her, though she found it funny that he can't lift his body 'cause the Eevees were on his back.

Vixie: "Hello."

Joseph: "Hi."

Both stared outside the windows, and they saw the sky from the horizon was slowly turning orange. Vixie made a little sound of shock that startled Joseph a bit, as she looked at the shadowy forest not too far from where they are.

Joseph: "Something wrong?"

Vixie: "No, it's just that, that forest. That was where I used to live."

Joseph: "Really? Care to share?"

She looked back at him with a sad face.

Joseph: "...or not. Never mind."

Vixie: "No, it's fine. It's a bit of a sad story, though..."

Joseph: "I'm willing to listen, if you want to share it."

Vixie: "Well... I guess it's okay."

She then gave him a smile.

Vixie: "We're mates now, anyway."

That made him blush a bit as Vixie started her story.
My mom died before I hatched, so I don't know what she looked like. After I hatched, my dad took care of me, though barely. He just left me inside the den, often times he comes back, only to leave me something to eat, and then he heads out again. That went on for only three or four days, I think... I was the only child, so I was alone. When he left, I started feeling hungry, so I had no choice but to leave the den and face the outside world for the first time. I was scared by the idea of heading out, but after I saw how beautiful the world was, that fear was instantly replaced by joy, but it was also replaced by hunger. There were lots of Eevees like me around. Our herd was on the edge of a forest, and we were near the ocean. Anyway, I wandered around, trying to find myself something to eat, and soon, I settled on the berries on a bush. While I was eating, there was this group of Eevees approaching me. I never met anyone before, except for my dad, so I was shivering in fear when they came close to me. One of the Eevees who was leading them went towards me and looked at me, but I got no courage to look back, so I just stared at the ground. They were angry about me eating 'their' berries, so they wanted me to apologize. I don't know what I did to make them angry, but I just said that I was sorry, and then I ran back to the den. They were trying to call me back, but I didn't stop and just ran inside the den and cried until evening. Dad never came back again. I just cried myself to sleep. The next morning, dad wasn't there, nor did he left me anything to eat, and I was already starting to feel hungry again. I went outside the den, where I was quickly surrounded by the same gang of Eevees. They called me names and they were tackling me. They stopped after they were satisfied, and left me there, aching from the tackles they gave me. No one was helping me, so I did my best to get myself back up on my feet. I did manage to eat some berries, but the pain made my mouth hurt every time I chew. The next morning, it was the same, and the next, and the next. Every time I get out of the den, the same Eevees would hurt me, and no one seemed to bother helping me. One night, while I was inside my den, I dug another hole, opposite from the den's opening. It took me the whole evening until I reach the surface, which was behind the trees. It didn't took long before they noticed and they started hurting me again. One day, I got the courage to shout at them, asking what their problem was, but they gave me a nasty smile and tackled me. After I was worn out, they left. Then, an Eevee came to my rescue. That was miracle, for me, at least. He helped me back to my den, and went outside. I thought that was the end of the miracle, until he came back a few minutes later, carrying a lot of berries with him. He gave them to me. He was the first Eevee that ever showed kindness to me. The next day, he stood in front of me when the gang of Eevees showed up again. He tried fending them off, but he was both outmatched and outnumbered. After they beaten him up, they walked away. I ran to him and helped him. He laughed a bit and praised me as he wondered how I was able to endure being beaten up every morning. I gave him a joke-reply that it was exercise. Later that evening, he suddenly came inside my den, and told me about a plan to avoid myself being bullied: I should live with him in his den. I was young, so I didn't really thought of anything else but avoid being beaten up. We silently ran away from my den. It was shockingly far. His den was really outside the herd's territory. It was really close to the sea, on the foot of a hill. It was small, but big enough for the two of us. Before we went to sleep, however, he told me the reason why my dad left me all alone and why he helped me; he was my half-brother, my dad's son from another female. I am her little sister, since he was born first. After his mom found out that our dad mated with my mom, she was furious and accidentally killed my mother. Our dad went into a rage of fury, and accidentally killed his mother. He couldn't believe what he just did. He said that our father wanted to kill me, but he couldn't do it, so instead, he left. Our dad asked him if he wanted to go with him as well, but he didn't want to. After he told me this story, he told me his name; Ixan. He then told me a theory as to why I was bullied; probably because of my dad being a complete jerk. I didn't really know what to do nor what to say. I just noticed myself crying and I took my sight away from him and lied down to sleep. I heard him sigh, and he lied down behind me, or somewhere in the den. After I woke up, I found Ixan sitting outside the den. I went out and sat beside him. After I did, he quickly apologised, but for what, I asked him. He was confused at first, and then he was apologizing for making me feel bad last night. I told him he shouldn't, for I really needed to know, anyway. I thanked him, which gave him a smile, and told me that we should start to live our lives like a real brother and sister, and watch each others' backs. After that, we lived a peaceful life until we evolved. It was a surprise for me, that I woke up and seeing the world a bit different. I looked at my reflection on the water, and I was surprised that I turned into a Flareon. I didn't know about evolution at first, so it really freaked me out. I thought my soul went inside another body.

Joseph: "Yeah... I didn't evolve naturally the way you did... But I was still surprised after I woke up being a Flareon."

Vixie chuckled, and after, she continued her story.
A few days after I evolved, I woke up and I noticed that there was a Vaporeon right next to me. I thought, at first, it was my brother, who just evolved, but I could also be wrong. I woke him up, and it was indeed him. I told him he evolved, and that quickly made him stand up and look at his reflection. He was really happy he turned into a Vaporeon, for he always wanted to travel the sea. After he had a little swim, he invited me over, but of course, being a fire-type and all, I couldn't stay in the ocean for a long period of time. Since he was a bit bigger than me, he had an idea, that I should ride on him so we can enjoy the sea together. I hesitated at first, but he insisted, so I had no choice. While we were swimming, or rather, while I was on him while he was swimming, I suddenly felt like asking about what our father looked like, for I could no longer remember. That was a weird question for him, especially the fact that it was I who asked. He told me that he was a grumpy Jolteon, and really doesn't plan his actions ahead. I told him to stop, for it was enough information for me. After a few minutes of silence, I asked him about our mothers. He said his mother was a shy yet an agressive Vaporeon. He didn't really know much about my mother, but he said that she was Flareon, just like me. Maybe it was because of our mothers that we evolved into a Vaporeon and a Flareon. That made him chuckle. Eventually, we reached the age where our emotions are starting to tell us to find ourselves a mate, and one day, he even tried flirting me! I slapped him in the face, which brought him back to his senses, though he gave me an excuse that he was only practicing his courtship skills, but I didn't believe him, but I did eventually, after we sneaked behind a bush on the hill, where I saw a female Vaporeon that caught his heart. The idea of making me his flirting partner sounded really gross, but I tried my best to bear it, for his sake, and because I owe him a lot.

Joseph: "So, I guess that's where you got the 'skills' when you first saw me."

Joseph interrupted as she blushed.

Vixie: "No!"

Though to his ears, it sounded like a lie. He gave her a smile, which made her blush even more.

Vixie: "Okay... I guess I DID learn a bit from him..."

He was still not convinced.

Vixie: "Okay! A LOT! Happy now?"

He just chuckled a bit. Though she was annoyed, she couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. She decided to continue her story.
After a whole morning of training, we were already behind the same bush. When we were still climbing up the hill, he was very confident to win her heart, but now, he wants to run back to the den. I ignored him while I quietly looked through the bush, and the Vaporeon was still there. She was sitting on a rock where the sunlight was shining through the thick forest on a small pond. I told him to go and introduce himself to her now, but he somehow evolved into a rock. After whispering to him a bit, I think the female Vaporeon heard us behind the bush, for I heard her chuckling a bit. After a few more tries, he just can't pull himself together, so I took a few steps back, and quickly tackled him, making him fly through the bush we were hiding, and he landed on the pond, making a big splash and soaked the female Vaporeon, but I think she didn't mind, for she was a water-type, after all. The female Vaporeon greeted him with a calm hi, while he, on the other hand, replied with a very quiet hi. He was trembling from nervousness, and I thought he's gonna die, but after a while, he did pull himself together, so after I was convinced that things will go smooth from that point, I went back to the den. It took him a while to get back, and being alone again really gave me a lot to think about. I was a bit jealous that he now found himself a mate, that is, if she accepts him. That made me think about going out and find myself a mate as well, for we lived in a very quiet place, so I don't think males will come and visit me there. It was almost sunset when I saw the two Vaporeons in front of the den. I can clearly tell that they're really into each other now. Anyway, Ixan introduced me to his mate. Her name was Xyla. I know, our names have 'x' on them. Anyway, that really made me even more jealous. He asked if it was okay for her to stay, and I told him that it's his decision, since it was his den, afterall. That evening, I had the chance to talk to her while Ixan was fishing. She told me how cute and lovely he was, and it was funny for me to tackle him to her. I told her that if I hadn't done that, they wouldn't end up being together. She chuckled as she agreed, and afterwards, she thanked me. I also asked her if I am good enough to find myself a mate, and she said that I was, though naturally, a male should be the one looking for a mate. I told her about what I thought about earlier, and she did agree that the den was really far away from other Eevees. So, that gave me determination to start looking for a mate the day after. Ixan came inside and threw a fish to my face, as his way of thanking me for tackling him earlier. The next day, I went outside and looked around, but the only herd of Eevees that was close by was the one where I was from; the place where I always get bullied. Ixan just woke up, and I told him that it was time for us to part. I didn't want to, nor does he, but life goes on, and so I must find the continuation of my life. I waited for Xyla to wake up before I left, and after we exchanged goodbyes, I left and went towards the herd where I was from. After I arrived, a lot, and I mean a LOT of males went in front of me and introduced themselves, even the ones who were bullying me before, and of course, they already evolved, but I can still recognize their scent. Anyway, I spent a few days there, trying to find and see the perfect one for me, but none of them really caught my attention. So I quietly left the herd, in hopes that no one would follow me, and thank goodness no one followed, but I was sure they'll follow my scent, so I had no choice but to walk on the shore, literally on the swallow waters, and after I convinced myself that I was too far away, I went back to dry land and ran towards the nearest forest. I spent a few more days walking around, and I did find a few males, though not as attractive as you are. Anyway, during that time, I also heard about this rumor about a Flareon who was once a human, and was once a member of a rescue team. That really made me eager to know who it was, and then one day, I found a Flareon talking with a group of Ursarings. He tried stalking me, but his tail was sticking out from the bush. And then, well, you know what happened after that.

Joseph couldn't help but to blush while he smiled at Vixie, who was also giving a lovely smile, but their smiles quickly disappeared after they heard the Eevees giggling and chuckling. Both were embarrassed after they realized that their Eevees were listening the whole time.
The sun has already escaped the horizon as it shines down a morning light in the land of Kinah. A carriage had just arrived in front of the huge gates of the castle's outer walls, where it was soon opened, and the carriage continued to move inside and later stopped in front of the castle. The carriage's door was opened by a knight, where he was expecting the princess to come out, but he was startled after seeing four Eevees coming out from the carriage, and they were followed by two Flareons. The Eevees were amazed to see the place was full of shrubs they never seen before, and the ground was covered by white blocks. They quickly ran towards the fountain, which was in front of the castle's doors. Around the fountain stood statues of Pidgeots and Charizards that were carved from black marble. The Eevees later dived in the fountain, where Vixie looked at them happily, while Joseph and Alice were really worried about them swimming there. Alicia didn't mind them and went towards the huge castle, where the doors are already opened. The king just arrived outside the castle's doors, and Alicia quickly gave him a hug. After, the old king gazed at Alice, who was startled to see her reaching the Eevees who were swimming around the fountain, while knights were pulling her away from the fountain, fearing she might fall into the water. Beside her was a Flareon, who seemed to be calling his Eevees to get away from the water. The king just sighed and was about to talk to Alicia, but he noticed she was gone. He looked back and saw her hugging her mother. Finally, the four Eevees went out of the water, and shook their bodies to remove the water on their bodies, which rained on both Alice and Joseph. The four were happy and smiled, but as they faced them, Alice and Joseph were giving them an evil glare.

Alice was giving the Eevee family a tour around the castle. She was leading the way as the two Flareons were following her. Before they started the tour, the four Eevees were really running around the place, for excitement got the better of them. Now, Alice is carrying all four of them on her chest and locking them with both her arms. They struggled at first, but after Joseph told them to behave, as what they promised, they did so, but Alice didn't want to let them go, for she's not sure whether they will behave, and they're really cute to hug. She showed them the large hallways, where large paintings were hanging around, which were the works of the famous painter with his Smeargle partner. The paintings usually show a peaceful scenery, where she tells them that these were the painter's dream of the future; to have a peaceful world. His other paintings were images of POKéMON enjoying the wild, which she explains one of the painter's dreams; to leave them enjoy the peace and for humans to stop harming them. Joseph couldn't agree more. They went on for an hour, showing them large hallways and other large rooms on the ground floor. Vixie was still wearing an excited smile, while Joseph, on the other hand, was already tired from all the standing and walking around. Alice then happily announces that they're going to the next floor for the tour, and everyone, except for Joseph, cheered. Though he had a basic idea that a castle is huge, he didn't expect that it would be that huge. They took the stairs, which was a really long one, circling around a pillar heading up. While they were walking up the stairs, he could no longer go on and lied down on the middle of the stairs as he catched his breath. The others didn't want to stop the tour, so Vixie had to bite his ear and dragged him up. Joseph had no choice but to walk than to bear that painful bite on his ear. After they reached the second floor, she opened a large door and told them that this was her room. Joseph was overjoyed to see her large bed, and quickly ran and jumped on it, and he sighed in relief. He couldn't believe how comfortable the bed was, and he could easily fall asleep there. While he was resting, the others went outside her room's balcony, where they were amazed by the beautiful view of the ocean. They were startled after a shadow covered them from above. They looked up and saw a huge POKéMON soaring through the sky, heading south where the ocean was. Joseph went outside, where the shadow just left them, and tells them that it was a Ho-oh; a legendary fire and flying type POKéMON. They looked at the POKéMON's colorful feathers in awe as it slowly flew away. Alice wanted to ask him something when she noticed that he already jumped back to her bed. She sat on the side of her large bed and puts the Eevees on it as Vixie jumped on it and sat beside the happy-resting Flareon. A female servant opened the door of her room and informed the princess that lunch will be served in fifteen minutes. After she thanked her, the servant excused herself as she closed the door. Joseph was already half-asleep when Alice tells them that they should get themselves ready, but he didn't bother moving an inch. She quickly stood out of her bed and ran towards her golden drawers and took a brush from the first drawer. She then sat near Vixie as she stroked the brush from Vixie's nape to her back. She felt a lovely feeling as every stroke of the brush rubs on her fur, and touching her skin. The four Eevees were jumping on one spot of the bed, while Joseph has fallen asleep already. The door suddenly opened wide. Alicia went inside and was surprised to see the POKéMON on her little sister's bed. It sparked another argument which made Joseph wake up in annoyance. Vixie noticed him, so she bent her head towards his and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. That somehow removed the annoying feeling on him, as he wiped his cheek with his paw, and he then sat down on the bed. They stopped their little argument when they noticed a servant stopping in front of the door. Alicia asked what she wanted, and the servant informs them that the king would like them to go down now. The servant left soon after. Alicia then faced her little sister and informs her that she hasn't even changed her clothes yet. That surprised Alice a bit, and quickly ran to her wardrobe near the door where Alicia just went outside in annoyance. She quickly removed her gown and threw it on the floor as Joseph lied down on the bed with his paws covering his eyes. Vixie asked why, and he just replied that he doesn't want to feel like a pedophile. A servant who happened to pass by her door noticed her, so she quickly ran inside to help her change. Two other servants rushed inside to help her. One was fixing her hair, the other was tying the knots behind her dress and the other was helping the princess with her sandals. Afterwards, she asked one of them to carry the Eevees down. They went down the stairs again. Two servants went ahead, followed by another who was carrying the four Eevees, and behind her was Alice, followed by Vixie, and Joseph was behind her. He started to wonder if rolling down the stairs would be a great idea, but felt scared after he thought about it. At least, to him, going down the stairs was easier than going up. Vixie stopped and looked back at him, and waited for him to reach her, and when he did, they continued to go down the stairs together.

Vixie: "This place is really amazing."

Joseph: "Big and tiring to go around...yes..."

Vixie: "Aw... Don't you like this place?"

Joseph: "Before, yes, but now, an absolute no..."

Vixie: "But you were a human once, right? So that means you feel at home to places like this..."

Joseph: "For the higher-class humans, yes, this does feel like home, but I was a poor child before. In this world, I was a peasant..."

That made Alice look at them, who was in front of them.

Alice: "Don't use that word."

Joseph: "Oh, sorry..."

Alice: "That's a very hurtful word, even if you're only comparing it to you."

Rather than starting a little debate, he just kept his mouth shut and nodded. That gave Alice a smile, and then she focused her attention on the stairs.

Vixie: "Hey, Alice."

Alice: "Hm?"

She replied without looking back at them.

Vixie: "Are there any other humans who can understand POKéMON?"

That made her think for a moment. Both Flareons saw her scratch her head.

Alice: "Uhm... I don't think I know anyone who can..."

Vixie: "Oh, I see."

The Flareon replied with a disappointed tone on her voice. Later, they finally reached the end of the stairs, and the servants escorted the princess to the dining room. The two Flareons just followed them. Later, they reached the dining room, which was one of the areas of the castle that they visited during their little tour. The room, unlike the others, has no windows, but very large red curtains hanging on the walls. on the ceiling hangs a lot of chandeliers where their candles were lit. In the center of the room stood a very long rectangular table; two chairs were on one side, where the king and queen were already sitting on, and there were twenty-one chairs on each of the long parallel sides. Alicia was already sitting on the chair nearest to her parents. The servants announced Alice's presence, and the king turned his head to look at them.

King: "Those POKéMON are here as well?"

Alice: "Yes, father. May I ask you to let them join us?"

Alicia, who just grabbed her glass, reacted.

Alicia: "Alice, please. First you took them inside the castle uninvited, took them to your room, and now you want them to eat together with us!?"

Queen: "Mind your tone, child."

Alicia: "But mother..."

Queen: "Hush, child. Let your father handle this."

King: "Alice, my child, they are welcome inside the castle so long as they're your guests, but I won't approve your request to have them eat with us."

Alice: "Oh, but father...!"

King: "Take those POKéMON outside."

The servant who was carrying the Eevees bowed and then walked towards the door where they entered. Vixie and Joseph had no choice but to follow the servant. Alice was about to call them back when her father called out her name and asked her to sit down.
The servant took them in the castle's garden, where it had a number of tall trees and bushes, and on the center of the garden stood a small fountain. She kneeled down and she puts the Eevees down on the ground, and after she stood up, she apologized at them and after, she went back to the castle. The Flareons were sitting down on the trimmed grass.

Rose: "Well, that was unexpected..."

Mark: "I was really looking forward to eat something other than berries!"

Steven and Krystal: "Me too..."

Joseph: "Nothing we can do about it, though. We're a POKéMOn, after all..."

Krystal: "But dad, I thought you were a human once."

Joseph: "Well, yeah, once, but not anymore, so..."

Mark: "This stinks...!"

Vixie: "Now, calm down, everyone. I don't think it's that bad..."

She was about to add something to what she was saying when they noticed Alice coming towards them, and behind her were two servants. She kneeled down in front of the Flareons as the Eevees ran in front of their parents.

Alice: "I'm sorry if my father took you here."

Joseph: "It's fine."

Alice: "Still, I want to apologize. Anyway, I brought you something to eat."

A servant puts six large plates on the grass while the other puts a steak on each of the plates, and after, she pours gravy on the steaks. She then followed it by putting two meatballs on each plate. The Eevees' eyes were sparkling as their mouths were slowly opening, and their salivas were getting sticky. Afterwards, the servants went back to the castle. Each Eevee went on one plate and sniffed the food, but Mark quickly started licking the gravy on his steak. Alice took the other two plates and puts them down in front of the two Flareons.

Alice: "Dig in."

The Flareons gave her a smile, and Vixie bent her head down towards her plate and started to sniff the food, while Joseph picked a meatball with his paw, and started eating it. Alice was really happy seeing them eating, especially at Joseph, who is the only one eating using his paw.

Alice: "Joseph..."

Joseph: "Hm...?"

Alice: "Need a fork?"

Joseph couldn't speak, for he was taught not to speak when his mouth was full, so while he was still chewing, he just gave her an angry stare, which confused her. It took him a few seconds for him to swallow what he was eating.

Joseph: "No thanks... I can't hold a fork without thumbs, I think..."

Alice: "Oh..."

Joseph: "Anyway, thanks for this lovely meal. It's been a while since I last ate something that was cooked by hum---oh hey... My dad cooked these, right?"

She nods her head with a smile.

Alice: "He cooks really good, huh?"

Joseph: "Yeah... Not sure if I can face him, though..."

Alice: "Don't worry. I'll let you see him after you've finished eating."

He started to feel a bit nervous.

Joseph: "T-thanks. Anyway, speaking of which, aren't you going back to eat?"

Alice: "Well, I can eat later."

Joseph: "Are you sure that's okay? You won't get in trouble, right?"

Alice: "Well... A bit... But don't mind that."

Joseph: "Er... Okay, if you insist..."

And he picked the other meatball up and started eating it. Later, Joseph, Vixie and Alice were startled that the whole place suddenly lost the sun's light. They looked up and saw the Ho-oh once again, flying north, and seemed to be having difficulty in flying. It only took a few seconds for the Ho-oh to fly away from blocking the sunlight. Joseph wondered what happened, but didn't mind asking them for they can't answer his question anyway.
After they finished eating, Alice stood up and asked them to wait for her as she goes back inside to call their Flareon-chef. It's taking her a while, and Joseph is really starting to feel very nervous. Vixie and the Eevees were trying to help him feel at ease, but he just couldn't. He's thinking about a lot of things. What would his father look like? Will the both of them recognize each other? What will he say if he sees him having a family of his own at a young age of fourteen? Soon, they saw Alice coming towards them, and a brown Flareon was following her, a bit taller and bigger than him. After the two reached them, Alice stepped aside so the two Flareons can face each other. Joseph was really nervous, but he tried his best to stay calm as he stared at the Flareon. He can't really recognize the Flareon in front of him, and so was the Flareon who was in front of him. The Flareon looked at Alice.

Flareon: "So, princess, who's this?"

He asked while pointing his paw at Joseph.

Alice: "oh, right."

Though to Joseph's ears, it sounded as if she was intentionally wanting them to try and guess each other, rather than making herself introduce themselves to each other.

Alice: "Eric, this is Joseph, and Joseph, this is our cook, Eric."

Eric faced Joseph with a weird stare.

Eric: "Joseph, huh? Funny, my kid's name's also Joseph."

Joseph: "No kidding... My dad's name's also Eric."

He replied sarcastically.

Eric: "Oh?"

Joseph: "Yeah... Hi dad..."

Eric: "Me? Dad? You don't mean...!?"

Joseph nodded his head, while his eyes were slowly forming tears, making his vision a bit blurry, though he can still see his father's expression slowly changing from a surprised state into an awkward smile.

Eric: "You're my son...? My human son?"

Joseph: "Yep... The one who caught a big fish on his first try at fishing..."

His tears were already flowing down on his face, and so was his father, who quickly pulled him towards him and hugged him.

Eric: "I can't believe this...!"

Vixie and the Eevees were sitting beside Alice, all looking at them happily.
Later that afternoon, the Ho-oh was once again flying by towards south as Alice was going inside the castle while the four Eevees were running around the garden. The three Flareons were sitting under the shade of a tree. Before that, Joseph introduced Vixie as his mate and the Eevees as his children. That made Eric a bit furious at first, for Joseph was still at a very young age to have a family of his own, and he's not ready to be a grandfather yet. Vixie wanted to tell him that Joseph was at the right age to have a family as a Flareon, but Joseph stopped her and handled his father instead. It lasted a few minutes before his dad could cool himself down. After that, Joseph told him how he got in this world; about him saving a few coins for four years so he can get a bus ticket to the city, went inside the same company where his dad was working. After, Eric then tells them about his story. But before he could start, Steven overheard his grandfather that he's going to tell a story, so he excused himself so he can listen to the story, but as he went to the three Flareons, the other three ran pass him. After the four arrived, they sat in front of their parents as they prepared themselves to listen.

I'll start my story after I left home. Anyway, I arrived at the company's gates. The guard inspected the things I was bringing, and after that, he lets me in. I was interviewed, and I got hired as a utility man. It was tough, cleaning the whole building, but it was worth it. During my stay there though, those big guys were discussing about dimensional gates of some sort. I didn't really got all of those, 'cause everything they were talking about was very difficult to understand. Anyway, one day, I went inside a room where the scientist usually burn their heads solving equations and stuff. Inside was this massive frame made of metal. I think, if I remember correctly, the scientists called it a gate. I turned the lights on, and I found myself all alone there. I was a bit happy at that moment, 'cause it was the first time I can clean that room peacefully, but that's when it happened. I was wiping this weird machine that looked like a box with buttons on top. There was this big red button on the side, but I didn't mind it. I accidentally pushed it while I was wiping it, making the whole room shake a bit as the giant metal ring-frame thing started sparking some electricity around it. I tried pressing all the other buttons, in hopes that it would stop, but it didn't. Inside the ring, a weird circle-thing with strange colors was forming as it was turning clockwise. I then tried looking for the power plug to stop it, but after I did, the ring was starting act like a giant vacuum cleaner, and it instantly sucked me. I can't really understand what was happening. All I saw was black, but I can still feel my entire body. I tried struggling around, but I can't seem to touch anything. I suddenly saw a small white dot up ahead, and it was getting bigger, or maybe I was getting closer, but whatever was going on, my whole body was starting to ache really really painfully, as if I was being squeezed. It was as painful as hell, but it stopped after I got inside that giant white circle. After I got through it, I saw a vast blue ocean in front of me, and it was getting closer. Before I realized that I was falling towards the ocean, I already landed and was underwater. Of course, as a fisherman, I can swim, but I can't seem to go anywhere, so I tried making myself float, which I did. I looked around, looking for dry land, and good heavens there was, though a bit far, but I can make it. I was about to start swimming when I put my right hand in front of me, but to my surprise, I saw a brown animal-like front leg instead. I looked at my left hand, and it was also the same. I suddenly felt something moving on my butt, so I put my head underwater to see what it was, and I saw my whole underside, full of brown and white fur, and my butt grew a tail! I shouted in surprise, but I swallowed some water, so I quickly took my head out of the ocean so I could cough the water I inhaled. I thought I became a dog, so instead of worrying about what happened, I tried swimming in dog-style towards dry land. I reached the shore soon, and I was soaking wet. In front of me was a forest, and I was surprised how tall the trees were, or maybe I just shrunk. Then again, I did turn into a dog, so I guess I did shrunk. Anyway, inside, this big bird landed in front of me, and called himself a...Pigey? Piggie? Whatever. It was a brown yet big bird, and we have the same height. He asked why I didn't tried shaking my body to remove the water on me. He had a point, since dogs would normally do that, and so I did. He called me a weird Eevee. Eevee, what in heaven's name is that suppose to mean? He then told me that I was an Eevee. He was about to say something else when he quickly looked around and flew away, shouting at me to run and hide. Anyway, after he got away from my sight, this giant green mantis popped out out of nowhere and started chasing me. Oh, dear god, I'm about to die. I ran as fast as I could, but that giant insect always outruns me and tried cutting me into two. I dodged and dodged until I jumped to my right and I landed inside a bush. It was a very itchy bush, but I had to get away, which I did before he sliced it down. Man, that insect won't give up. While I was running, I looked back, which was a very stupid thing to do. When I looked ahead, right in front of me was these giant sticky strings that started wrapping around me. A giant red spider was crawling down towards me. I thought I was doomed. After it reached me, the green insect suddenly appeared and sliced the giant spider, and cutting the strings that were sticking on me, so while they were busy bugging each other, I ran away from them. Why the hell were the bugs are so huge? Anyway, soon, I noticed a weird formation of rocks on the base of a tree. It had a little hole inside, so I tried crawling in. Inside was big enough for me to turn around so I can face the opening. While I was lying there, I saw the green insect again, running by. I sighed, finally I was safe, for now. After a few minutes, I saw a big face of a rat that really startled me, making me jump and make the rocks collapse, and after, I quickly ran away. It shouted something I didn't bother to understand. I don't know how many minutes I was running in a straight path, but I stopped on a little pond in the middle of the forest. It was very tiring, but at least I had something I can drink. My body was extremely hot, and I couldn't sweat, so I just had to stick my tongue out while I was lying on the ground, resting myself. It worked like a charm, but I wondered why I needed to stick my tongue out. A few minutes after, I heard something coming towards me, but before I could gather enough strength to stand up, this pink, or was it violet, anyway, it was a fox with four ears and three eyes, and it had two tails. That freaked me out. What kind of animal is that, I thought. After I stood up, I ran away, but after a few steps, I slipped and I landed on the ground. It said something about I shouldn't run away, for he won't hurt me. Yeah right, I thought, but I suddenly floated in the air, and I was heading towards the fox. I landed in front of him, and he started sniffing me. He said I needed a safe place to rest. I thanked him for telling me the obvious. Anyway, he invited me to his herd while I suddenly floated in the air again and I landed on the big fox's back, and he started walking. I tried struggling away, but he assured that I won't be eaten. He said something that he and I were the same kind. That made no sense. After a while, we reached a clearing inside the forest where a lot of other animals that seemed to look like me were around. He took me inside an underground chamber of some sort, and told me that I should rest there for a while. Foxes lived underground, I never knew that. He told me to stop calling him a fox. Grievald was his name, if I remember correctly, and he was an Espiyan, no idea what that meant, but the sound of it gave me the idea that he was the one making me float around earlier. Anyway, I told him about me; being human and all, who suddenly turned into a dog. He didn't believe me, and of course, who would? I never told him my name though. I only told him that I was Eevee. I stayed with those animals for a few days, or weeks. I can't really remember correctly. Anyway, one day, these violet and bulky human-like creatures came by, trying to claim Grievald's territory. He didn't want to, of course, for that would mean we'll all go away and find a new one, and I don't like that. They left peacefully, but one day, they came back, not to take the area again, but to warn us about humans. Humans, I thought. There are humans here? At first, I thought it was just another strange creature that is named humans, or maybe it was spelled differently. Anyway, that evening, Grievald sensed humans around the forest, and in the dark forest, we can see the lights from their torches. Humans, I thought. If they're really humans, why was I the only one who turned into a dog? After a while, those humans started shouting and running towards us. I thought that I'm gonna be eaten by my own kind! They had spears and nets and all sort of things that could kill a small dog like me. The others quickly ran away while Grievald and a few others stayed and fought them. I really didn't know what I should do, so I just ran inside the underground den. I felt really scared, despite my age and my experience. Anyway, during the chaos, I heard Grievald shouting. That sparked something inside me, making me run outside and try to help them; not the humans, but to help the dogs and foxes who helped me. I was biting them, scratching them, anything that I could think of.

Eric suddenly showed them his left paw, and they noticed that it was missing a finger. Joseph was surprised by this.

Eric: "Don't worry, son. It's the mark of courage. Anyway, where was I...?"

Joseph: "The 'mark of courage', huh?"

'Dad's story, somehow, is identical to Krystal's story', Joseph thought as Eric just figured out where he stopped from his story.

It lasted for hours. It was tiring, but it was exciting, even more exciting than fighting a shark in the sea. Those humans were already gone. We didn't manage to kill any of them, but they killed a lot of us. Grievald was fine, though he was hurt. He was checking everyone who got hurt. The excitement I felt suddenly changed into sadness, after seeing all those dead dogs around. I then remembered those humans taking some of the dead dogs and putting them inside a bag. That was a troublesome thought. Grievald then came to me and looked around me, and he told me that my tail got cut off a bit as he checked my paws, and then he told me I was missing a finger. That shocked me a bit. My paw was bleeding. He asked someone to take care of my wound, but I told him not to mind it. He was about to head to the forest where the others ran, so I asked him if I could go with him. He agreed, and we, along with some other dogs, went inside the forest, looking for the others, in hopes that they're still okay. We did found some, which was a great relief. It took a while though, and we reached the end of the forest. Outside was this loud waterfall, and on the edge of the stream, we saw another one. As Grievald was approaching him, or her, the dog woke up and coughed some water. That afternoon, we gathered in the herd, where Grievald and the others were praying for their lost friends. I don't like it, I don't like how things are going on around here. Plus, I don't want to be eaten by humans. I had the chance to talk to Grievald in private, and told him again about me. It wasn't really the greatest time to talk about it, but he told me to go to Mount Ice and meet up with his friend Luvian, for she might be able to help me. He pointed at a mountain, and from the looks of it, it was very very far. He told me that he used to live on the foot of that mountain when he was still young. Anyway, I thanked him and I said my goodbye to everyone and I went towards the mountain. I encountered a lot of other animals. Some were helping me, pointing me to the right direction, and some chased after me, wanting to eat me. Those days of walking made me realize that I'm no longer on planet Earth. Anyway, I did manage to reach the top of the mountain. That was my first time climbing a mountain! Anyway, I met a tall but weird green bird. She said she was the one I was seeking: Luvian. She told me that I was no ordinary Eevee, having an odd swirl of wind around me, blah blah. Anyway, she told me about the future she saw. She told me about me, meeting up with my son in a castle. What castle? I looked around the land, but I couldn't see any castles around. After that, she went silent. I tried talking to her, but she won't talk anymore. Nothing more I could do, so I went down. I don't know what do to now. I'm lost, alone, and I want to go back home. I was slowly losing hope while I was walking through a forest, but when I came out, I found human knights surrounding a wagon. That gave me an idea: where to knights go, of course, to a castle. I quickly ran towards them and took a ride under the wagon. It had a horizontal and wide wood holding two wheels, and it was good enough for me to lie on. It took me to this castle, where I met Alice. She was very very young back then, and she was talking to animals. She asked me a lot of stuff, and that's how I began my little carrier here as their chef. One day, I suddenly turned into this red wolf I am now while I was cooking. And now, here we are. That psychic bird's vision came true, though she didn't said anything about you having a family.

The darkness of the night covered the land of Kinah for living creatures to rest after a sunny day. In the castle of Lord Johto, his family just finished eating their supper, while the Flareons and the Eevees were eating theirs in the castle's garden. Torches were around the garden, giving them enough light to see everything around. Alice then came and asked them to come with her in her room for the night. She carried the four Eevees while Joseph and Vixie followed her as they went up the stairs. The Eevees were talking to each other, and Alice couldn't help but join in their conversation as Joseph and Vixie were also talking to each other.

Vixie: "Your dad's really nice."

Joseph: "Eheh, yeah. I can't believe I missed him. I'm really happy to see him and be able to talk to him again."

She just gave him a smile, though Joseph can tell that she's faking it.

Joseph: "Is something bothering you, 'xie?"

She quickly removed the fake smile on her face.

Vixie: "Hm... Well, I'm just feeling a bit jealous."

Joseph: "Jealous?"

Vixie: "Yes, well, a bit, maybe. 'cause you have a very caring father, while I never felt the love of one."

Joseph: "Oh..."

Vixie: "But I guess it's fine. I have you, anyway."

Joseph: "Eheheh..."

He blushed while he chuckled a bit, while he thought of something: he haven't tried to show her his love, so he thought of something that hopefully will cheer her up. He looked at her and saw her looking ahead. He thought of giving her a kiss, but what for, he asked, but he did it, anyway, giving her a quick lick on her cheek, startling Vixie a bit. She quickly faced him as she blushed.

Joseph: "S-sorry... I just thought that it would help you cheer up a bit..."

He said as he turned his sight away from her, blushing deeply. That made her feel better than he thought, so she gave him a kiss on his cheek as well, making him blush more as he faced her, who was smiling at him.

Vixie: "Thank you."

They soon reached the end of the stairs. Alice went in front of the door of her room, and opened it. She was about to enter her gloomy room when a servant came with a candle, and asked the princess that she'll first light the candles up. After, the room was bright now. Alice puts the Eevees down on her bed while Joseph and Vixie jumped on the rear-end of the bed, and lied down side-by-side. The Eevees were playing on the bed while the two Flareons were talking to each other as Alice went to her wardrobe to change.

Vixie: "Hey, you know, while we were on the balcony, I saw the forest where I was from."

Joseph: "Really?"

Vixie: "It's a bit far from here. I wish I could go there. I want to visit my brother."

Joseph: "Well, we can go tomorrow, if you want."

Vixie was happy that he's eager to go there with her, and she wanted to.

Vixie: "But, is it okay? I mean, you just met your father. I'm sure you want to spend more time with him."

Joseph: "Well, true, but I'm sure he'll understand."

Vixie: "You think so?"

Joseph: "Of course."

Vixie: "Well, what about Alice?"

Alice: "Huh? What about me-what?"

Alice asked, who just finished wearing her pajamas: a white, long-sleeved shirt and a dirty-white long pants. She sat beside Vixie.

Vixie: "Well, we wanted to go to a forest tomorrow. Is it okay with you?"

Alice: "Sure!"

She replied with a big smile.

Joseph: "That's great to hear, but the decision will depend on your father, if I'm correct..."

Alice: "Huh? Oh, yes... You're right..."

That made her frown, but she quickly smiled at them after she thought of an idea.

Alice: "We can sneak out to the forest."

That made Vixie smile, realizing that Alice is as eager as they are, but Joseph was surprised to hear her idea.

Joseph: "A bad idea..."

Vixie and Alice: "Why?"

Joseph: "When your father finds out you're gone, who knows what'll happen. He may order his men to go and look for you, or worse, maybe he'll think that we took you."

Vixie: "Why would he do that?"

Alice: "Aw... I hate it when you ruin my plan with a good point..."

They were silent for a while as they watched the Eevees playing in the middle of the bed. It took a few minutes before Joseph broke their silence.

Joseph: "Maybe Vixie and I can go by ourselves..."

Vixie: "Really? But why the two of us?"

Joseph: "Well, uh... Just think of it as a way for us to be alone together."

He said while blushing a bit, which gave Vixie a smile on her face.

Vixie: "I like that. But what about them?"

Joseph: "Well, Alice can take care of them while we're away."

They both looked at Alice, who wasn't listening to what they were talking. She was just staring at the Eevees with a smile. Joseph then called her attention.

Alice: "Huh?"

Joseph: "Will you watch over them while we're away tomorrow?"

Alice: "Well, sure. But where will you go?"

Joseph: "Vixie and I will be going to the forest to visit her brother."

Alice: "W-what? But I thought all of us are going?"

Joseph: "Well, if your dad permits you, then sure. But if he doesn't, then Vixie and I will go."

Alice: "Aw... Poopee..."

Joseph: "Eheheh..."

Suddenly, Alicia opened the door and went inside. She was already on her yellow-themed pajamas. Everyone had their sight on her. She stopped near Alice, and looked at them.

Alicia: "Why are you all staring at me?"

Joseph: "You look like a banana..."

She then faced her little sister. She sighed before she started to say something.

Alicia: "Alice, are you really gonna have them sleep with you on your bed?"

Alice: "Well, yes. I don't see a problem, is there?"

Alicia: "Of course there is! These are dirty creatures! You'll get sick if you sleep with them!"

That made Mark and Rose growl at her, but she didn't mind them. Her comment gave Joseph an idea. He started scratching his ear with his hind leg, which caught Alicia's attention. He found it difficult to use his hind leg for scratching, so he stopped soon after.

Alicia: "See!? That thing could make you---hey!"

Joseph quickly jumped off the bed and sat on Alicia's feet, and started scratching again, which made her scream and ran outside her room, leaving everyone laughing.
Morning finally came, and as expected, Alice's father didn't agree, so Joseph and Vixie will go by theirselves. Before they go, however, he asked the Eevees to stay with Alice, and behave themselves. He also asked his dad if he can also spare an extra time watching over his grandchildren. Eric just sighed as he agreed to do so. Alice was a bit annoyed that she will be left behind, but she promised to watch over the four Eevees. Krystal, Rose and Steven were okay with the plan, but Mark really wanted to go, but Joseph tells him that it's a mother and father date, which annoyed Eric a bit, hearing those words from his young son. Soon, they went outside the castle's gates, where the surroundings quickly changed from a clean palace to a dusty yellowish little town of human settlers. They later reached the castle's outer walls' gates, which were already open. After they got outside, they started heading east, towards the forest a few distance away.
Meanwhile, in the castle's garden, Alice called a number of servants to help her give the Eevees a bath. At first, they didn't like the sound of it, but after they got wet and being groomed, they started liking it.
Joseph and Vixie just entered a forest, but they stayed near the edge of the forest, where the ocean and the shore were visible outside the forest. Joseph can't help but notice Vixie's smile, which was prettier than usual. That gave him a smile as well.

Joseph: "I see someone's really excited."

Vixie: "Huh? Oh, well, yes. It's been a while since I last saw my brother. I can't wait to see him and brag about you as my mate!"

That made him blush a bit.

Vixie: "I wonder if they're both okay. I wonder if they already have cubs."

She then faced him.

Vixie: "Thank you for coming with me."

Joseph: "Sure. Just to make you happy."

He wished he could have said a better version of what he just said. They eventually reached a pond inside the edge of the forest after walking for twenty-seven minutes. Joseph quickly jumped on the rock on the pond. He then faced Vixie, and then looked up where the sun was coming through the trees.

Joseph: "So I guess this was the place where you tackled your brother, right?"

That made her chuckle.

Vixie: "Yes. And below this hill is where his den is."

Joseph noticed the nervousness on her voice, so he quickly went off the rock and approached her.

Joseph: "You okay?"

Vixie: "Y-yes. Just excited and nervous. That's all."

Joseph: "Want me to bite your ear?"

Vixie: "N-no thanks!"

They later went out of the forest and went down the hill, but before they could reach the foot, they saw two Caporeons swimming in the ocean. One of them noticed them. The Vaporeon informed the other, and both swam to the shore to meet them. The Flareons just reached the foot of the hill while the Vaporeons just reached the shore.

Vixie: "I-Ixan...?"

Ixan: "Whoa? Is that you, sis?"

Ixan asked, who then ran towards her sister and both hugged each other, though she quickly pushed him away after making her wet. He just laughed while the other Vaporeon smiled as she approached them. Ixan noticed the other Flareon.

Ixan: "Hey there."

Joseph: "Hi."

The other Vaporeon sat beside Ixan. They then started to get their scents, and after, Vixie introduced them to each other.

Vixie: "Ixan, Xyla, this is Joseph. He's my mate."

Although he already knew that she was going to say that, it still made him blush.

Vixie: "Joseph, this is my brother, Ixan, and his mate, Xyla."

Xyla: "Hello."

Ixan: "So you finally found a mate, huh? That's great!"

But he suddenly puts his face right in front of Joseph's, giving off an evil stare.

Ixan: "You're not one of those who were bullying my little sister, are you?"

Joseph: "Eheheh... No... Of course not."

That made Ixan feel better as he moved his head away and gave him a smile.

Ixan: "That's good to hear."

Xyla: "Love, can we go inside the den? This heat is making my skin itch."

Ixan: "Oh, of course!"

He then faced the Flareons.

Ixan: "Let's head inside the den."

In the castle's garden, the servants have prepared them a little table under the shade of a tree, and a chair for the princess. The table was big enough for the Eevees to stand on while enjoying the fried Magikarp their grandfather cooked for them, and for Alice to eat her lunch together with them. She invited the servants who were around to join her, but they declined her offer with an awkward smile.
Inside the den, the two females were enjoying their little chat while the two males were fishing.

Vixie: "Oh, by the way. I've been wanting to ask this."

Xyla: "Hm?"

Vixie: "I was expecting to see you and my brother, having your own cubs now."

That made the Vaporeon blush as she gave her a smile.

Xyla: "W-well... We weren't really planning on doing 'it' yet."

Vixie: "Oh?"

Xyla: "We wanted to enjoy each other's company, but a few days ago, we could no longer control our love to each other, so..."

She didn't finish her sentence, for Vixie already knew what happened, even if she did finish it.

Vixie: "I see."

Xyla: "It's been two days since that happened."

That made her blush even more.

Vixie: "Really? Me too."

Xyla: "Hahah, that's a weird coincidence."

And both laughed.
Meanwhile, in the ocean not too far from the den, a Vaporeon's head suddenly appeared above the surface, and looking at the area. Suddenly, a Flareon's head appeared near him, which startled him a bit.

Ixan: "Man, who'd thought a fire-type could swim almost as well as a water-type!"

Joseph: "Eheheh... Well, I got used to swimming ever since I was a small kid. Though I'm really starting to feel really cold. I think it's because of me being a fire-type and all."

Ixan: "Ahahah! Oh, but you know, you shouldn't really do this. You might get sick and all."

Joseph: "R-really? I haven't really thought about that."

Ixan: "Hey, wanna go back to the shore now?"

Both then looked at the shore, and saw their catch on it.

Joseph: "Yeah, I think we should. We caught enough Magikarps, I think."

'I wonder if the Magikarps suddenly evolve into a Gyarados while we were catching them...' he thought for a moment. Both then looked at each other. Joseph gave him a smile.

Joseph: "Last one there's a rotten egg!"

And he quickly swam towards the shore.

Ixan: "Hey, no fair! You had a head-start!"

He shouted back and dived down. Later, Joseph noticed the Vaporeon's shadow passing him by, which he didn't mind, but a few seconds after, he felt a stinging sensation around his right hind leg, mixing it with tiny electric shocks, and whatever it was, it pulled him down to the ocean. He was surprised, but he tried to open his eyes to see what it was. He saw a tentacle wrapping around his leg, and it came from a big Tentacool, who is extending it's other tentacle towards him. He couldn't use his fire-type moves underwater, so he had to think of other ways to set himself free. Suddenly, he thought about fire itself: if he needs to concentrate his body heat on his mouth to release a fire, then he could probably concentrate it on other parts of his body, since he can also summon fire around him if he does. He focused his energy on his hind leg, and he quickly saw the approaching tentacle stop, and he saw the Tentacool's aching expression, as it slowly freed him from it's grasp. He quickly swam back up to catch some air, and after he did, the Tentacool went above the surface as well, facing him.

Joseph: "S-sorry, but I don't want to become your prey today. I don't like the idea of leaving my Eevees fatherless."

While a Vaporeon was swimming towards him, the Tentacool swam away, without saying a word. He then faced the Vaporeon who just arrived.

Ixan: "What happened? I thought you drowned, so I came back to check on you."

Joseph: "Eheh... Sorry to worry you."

He then looked at the direction where the Tentacool was heading, but it disappeared. He then faced the Vaporeon again.

Joseph: "Well, this huge Tentacool grabbed me..."

Ixan: "What?"

Joseph: "...but I managed to set myself free."

Ixan: "That's not something to smile about. Grab onto me. I'll help you get back on shore."

Joseph: "Thanks, but it's not really that bad. I think I can...ouch...!"

He tried to swim, but after pushing the water back with his hind leg, it ached, making him stop.

Ixan: "See?"

Joseph: "It hurts more than I thought..."

He then grabbed the Vaporeon around the neck. Afterwards, the Vaporeon slowly swam towards the shore. After the reached the shore, Joseph had to walk on three legs. Ixan quickly asked him to stop and sit as he checks his leg.

Ixan: "It doesn't look really bad. You'll be fine."

He said after looking at the Flareon's purple leg. He then faced him.

Joseph: "How do you know?"

Ixan: "Well, I've been stung by a Tentacool before. Anyway, it'll probably take a few hours before it heals. A few days, if you're lucky."

Joseph: "Why would I be lucky if it'll take me a few days for this sting to heal?"

Ixan just laughed at him, making him give the Vaporeon an evil stare.

Joseph: "Not funny. Anyway, can't we use a Pecha Berry for this?"

Ixan: "Hm, good idea. I think we can use its juices and wipe them on your wound."

Joseph: "W-wipe?"

He didn't like that idea, for he thought that it'll really hurt him if they touch his injury.

Joseph: "I was hoping to just simply eat them."

Ixan: "Well, that won't work, I think. Stay here, I'll find you one."

Joseph was about to stop him, but the Vaporeon quickly ran up the hill towards the forest. He sighed, and he thought, for now, he's going to watch their catch from anyone who might try and steal them. He looked around, and he noticed a small group of POKéMON from far away. He thought that it was probably the herd were Vixie was born. Later, he noticed a mountain way beyond the forest, and he was sure that it was Mount Ice. He can't believe how far the mountain is from where he's sitting. He then wondered how Grievald and his herd were doing. Soon, he heard footsteps behind him. He stood up on three legs, and turned around, expecting to see a Vaporeon with a Pecha Berry, but to his surprise, he saw a Jolteon instead, who just stopped after he saw him approaching. He suddenly felt a small drop of water on his nose coming from his fur. He just remembered that he forgot to shake the water off of his fur, and so he did, almost making him fall over. If the Jolteon attacked him with electric attacks while he was wet, it would probably be very deadly, he thought, after he stopped shaking the water off of him. He saw the Jolteon with a very serious expression on his face.

Jolteon: "Who are you?"

Joseph: "Heh, same goes to you."

They were quiet for a short while, until the Jolteon broke the silence.

Jolteon: "Let me ask you again; who are you."

Joseph really didn't like the tone he's using. He then gave him a serious look.

Joseph: "I see no reason why I should tell you."

That annoyed the Jolteon, making his entire body release small bolts of electricity. Joseph was starting to wish that he shouldn't have said that, but he tried to look tough. 'Two can play that game', he thought, as he also started to release fire around him, making his whole body wrapped in flames. 'But lightning is faster than fire', he thought while concentrating his energy around him. He haven't had a battle in a while, so he wasn't sure if he's well-prepared for one, adding the fact that he has an injured leg. He saw the Jolteon lift his front paw, getting ready to step forward, but at that moment, a Vaporeon came down the hill with a Pecha Berry. He saw the Vaporeon, and he quickly returned his paw from where it was, and calmed himself down. Seeing what he did, Joseph also stopped the flames around him. The Vaporeon quickly ran towards the Flareon. Ixan puts the berry down as he looked at the Jolteon.

Ixan: "Is everything alright here?"

Joseph: "Well, yeah."

He replied, still facing the Jolteon.

Joseph: "We're just displaying our power at each other, I think."

A Flareon then went out of the den, which was a few meters away from where they were, and ran towards them.

Vixie: "Joseph, what's wrong?"

Joseph: "oh, Vix---ouch...!"

He quickly turned around to face her, accidentally using his wounded hind leg, which gave him a shock of pain, making him fall to the sand. This startled Vixie and Ixan, as well as the Jolteon. Soon, another Vaporeon came out from the den. She saw the Jolteon, who surprised her a bit, so she quickly ran towards them. but after she reached them, she looked at the Jolteon, who gave her an evil glare as he turned around and walked away towards the forest. Ixan then faced them, who noticed Xyla with a worried expression as she was looking at the Jolteon walking away.
An hour passed noon, Joseph was lying down inside Ixan's den, resting. His head was lying on Vixie's back, who was also lying down, sleeping. Ixan went out of the den to meet up with Xyla, who was outside, in front of the den's opening, and was staring at the ocean. He sat beside her, and both faced each other.

Ixan: "Hey, mind telling me who that Jolteon was?"

Xyla: "Huh? Oh, him..."

Ixan: "Him?"

He was starting to feel angry, after realizing that she somehow knew that Jolteon.

Xyla: "Don't misunderstand... I don't know him."

Ixan: "Then why, somehow, you know of him?"

Somehow, his voice was loud enough to wake Joseph up, who was inside the den.

Ixan: "Speak up. Was he here to meet up with you?"

Xyla: "No! I don't know!"

Ixan: "So he does meet up with you!"

Xyla: "It's not like that!"

Joseph: "Hush, you two!"

Both were startled after hearing Joseph's voice behind them. Ixan looked at him angrily, while Xyla just looked away.

Ixan: "Stay out of this."

Joseph: "I would, but I don't want to see you break up."

Ixan: "Break up? Oh, we---"

Joseph: "Shut up and let her explain before you jump to comclusions."

Ixan: "Grrr-fine...!"

Ixan then looked away while Xyla faced her mate.

Xyla: "Ixan, please don't think that I am cheating on you. I love you, and you know that."

Those words made the angry Vaporeon cool down a bit, but he was still not facing her. Joseph sighed and asked her to tell them about that Jolteon.

It happened a few days before I met Ixan. I was swimming on the edge of a cliff when I heard a shout from above. A Jolteon fell from the cliff, and was heading straight to the rocks below. I shot a water beam at him, pushing him away from the rocks, and into the safety of the ocean. He was unconscious, and I fear that he may drown, so I took him to the shore. After he regained his consciousness, however, he quickly attacked me with bolts of electricity, so I quickly swam away from him. The next day, I swam by where I left him, and I saw him there, sitting on the shore, staring at the horizon. I thought that he must have only been surprised, hence why he attacked me the other day, so, from a safe distance, I showed myself in front of his sight, but it seemed that he was deeply thinking about something. I slowly swam towards him, and when I was close, he just noticed me and was about to attack again, but I quickly struck him a beam of water, throwing him back. His action of attacking me twice made me furious, so I asked him what his problem was. He sat down, but he wasn't facing me. He told me that I just looked like the Vaporeon he used to love, who murdered his other love. He was a two-timer, I thought. I just yelled at him that even if I do look like her, that wasn't a good reason to attack me.

?: "Let me continue that story..."

The three were startled to hear a voice. They looked at the direction where it came from, and saw the Jolteon, standing on the shore, a few meters away from them. His very presence angered Ixan as he stepped in front of his mate, while Vixie, who just woke up, came outside the den and stood behind Joseph, who prepared himself to battle, despite his injured leg, the same for Ixan, who prepared himself for a battle, and was ferociously growling at the Jolteon.

Before I fell off that cliff, I was battling three Vaporeons at once. The very sight of a Vaporeon boils my blood, and anger overwhelms me...! Even after she saved me, this anger will never be washed away. And the reason why I always come here, is for me to kill her, but every time you, Ixan, came, I had to withdraw. Even if you are a Vaporeon, I can't kill my own son...

That surprised everyone, especially Ixan and Vixie, who afterwards, looked at each other, who seemed to be thinking the same thing: the Jolteon in front of them is their father.

Ixan: "You...! You murderer!"

Jolteon: "If you allow me to correct you; I'm considered an outlaw now."

Ixan: "I don't care what you are called now! You're a murderer! You killed my mother! You don't know the sadness I felt after she was gone!"

Jolteon: "That's why I asked you to come with me..."

Ixan: "And for what!? For me to become an outlaw like you!? To be with a murderer!?"

Vixie: "Dad...! No, you don't deserved to be called that anymore! For after you left me, my life became terrible!"

Jolteon: "Vixie...?"

Vixie: "Yes, it's me!"

Jolteon: "You grew up into a fair Flareon, just like your mother..."

He took a deep breath, and afterwards, he exhaled through his mouth.

Jolteon: "Now that you know my intentions, I suppose it's time for me to execute it."

'Wow, where did I learn those words?', he thought while he faced the Jolteon. As the females slowly went back inside the den, Joseph has summoned fiery flames around his body, while slowly lifting his injured leg, and touch it on the sand, and lifts up again, for him to see if it still hurt, and fortunately, it's not as painful as it was earlier. He then looked at Ixan, who is looking like he's ready to murder the one in front of him.

Joseph: "I hope you don't mind if I'll help you."

Ixan: "Just don't block my way!"

He angrily shouted, and after, he quickly ran towards the Jolteon, who seemed to be just waiting for him. 'What the heck', Joseph thought as he began running towards the Jolteon. His leg was still painful, but he's glad that it was somewhat bearable, though he can't run at his full speed, he thought it was enough. The Vaporeon jumped in the air, preparing it's sharp claws on his front paws, ready to strike the Jolteon. Joseph thought that it was a bad idea of a water-type to engage an electric type with a melee attack, so he quickly spits a small beam of fire, passing below the Vaporeon and heading towards the Jolteon, however, the beam was blocked by the electric bolts surrounding him, which surprised Joseph, for his attack was as if it was nothing. When the Vaporeon was about to land his attack, the Jolteon quickly stood up and locked its claws against the Vaporeon's. This made him realize that he's at a very gruesome disadvantage; not only is he being electrecuted, but the Jolteon can also pull him towards the ground. Seeing this as his chance, Joseph ran with all his might to tackle the Jolteon's chest, removing all the air the Jolteon had as he was thrown back, loosing his grip on the Vaporeon, who landed on the Flareon. Joseph found Ixan a very heavy Vaporeon, making him lose his breath and the fire around him.

Joseph: "Look, you need to concentrate. What you did earlier was really...stupid."

He said as he stood up, looking at their opponent who just got back up on his feet. The Jolteon then quickly unleashes a large number of lightning bolts at them, terrifying the Vaporeon as Joseph quickly stepped in front of the Vaporeon and blasted a large flamethrower, intended for close-range attacks, and it was big and wide enough to block the bolts from them. But his plan didn't work as he'd hope, though while some bolts of lightning faded when it touched the flames, other stronger versions of bolts went through, and struck the Flareon, shocking his entire body, and making him stop the fire wall he was creating. Ixan saw the Jolteon was on a standstill, as static electricity was flowing on the ground around him. He decided to attack the vulnerable opponent with a fast ice beam, which landed successfully on the Jolteon's mane. He quickly followed it with a quick dash towards him. The Jolteon recovered mobility, and quickly charges electricity around his body once again, breaking the ice that was on his mane, and he quickly threw a huge thunderbolt towards the incoming Vaporeon, but with quick reflexes, the Vaporeon manages to dodge it and spits a beam of water at the Jolteon, which made him lose his balance, but manages to get back on his feet. He later run up the hill, made a quick stop at the top, and ran down towards the Jolteon, who just faced him and once again, began charging electricity around him, but a sudden brightness from the edge of his eye caught his attention. He took a look and saw a fierce flamethrower coming his way, so he quickly jumped away from the raging inferno, but after he landed, both the Flareon and the Vaporeon, at once, delivered a heavy headbutt on him, throwing him to the sea.

Joseph: "You can control the sea, right?"

Ixan: "Yeah, but only if I'm on it."

Joseph: "Then what the heck are you standing there for!? Now's your chance!"

He realized that they can instantly win if he does so, but a thought hit him.

Ixan: "B-but I...I can't kill my own father..."

Joseph: "Why are..."

He stopped after he realized that even he can't do that to his own father. The Jolteon was already swimming towards the shore.

Joseph: "Tsk... Just wore him out then!"

Ixan: "B-but...!"

Joseph: "Do it, else we'll be fried!"

Seeing Joseph's serious expression, he had no choice, so he jumped towards the ocean and soon, the Jolteon found himself trapped inside a whirlpool.

Later that afternoon, Magnemites and a Magneton came to the scene, and captured the outlaw, who was unconsciously lying on the shore. The Magneton floated towards the four evolved Eevees and thanked them for the arrest of the outlaw. He also asked Joseph if he wants to be a rescuer again, but he declined with a smile. Ixan was feeling depressed after what he did. Xyla was doing her best to cheer him up. Vixie was also trying to help his brother as the Magnemites and Magneton floated away along with the outlaw. Vixie and Ixan just watched their father being taken away from them.
Later that evening, Joseph and the others were around a bonfire in front of the den. It was the first time the two Vaporeons were near a bonfire. Ixan managed to recover and was now happy with Xyla by his side, and the same for Joseph and Vixie, who were gazing at the stars while leaning their heads on each other.
The four Eevees were on Alice's bed, and were already deep in their sleep; tired from all the running around in the garden the whole afternoon. Alice was also tired. After she wore her pajamas, she quickly went to bed to sleep.

In the silence of the clear evening sky, where the full moon provided it's soft light to the world under it, a yell broke the rhythm of the silence.

"MOTHER!!!"

A small and young female Eevee called out to her mother as a Skarmory and an Espeon walked towards a forest. She was grabbed by her father, who was a Vaporeon, and was crying to see her beloved mate being taken from their herd.

"MOTHER!!! DON'T GO!!!"

The Eevee yelled once again, making the Espeon look back at her, where her face was already flowing with tears. The metal bird stomped its foot on the ground, startling the Espeon, and soon, they walked on towards the forest.

'They took my sister, and now my mother...!'

After they disappeared in the shadows of the forest, the herd finally regained their mobility, which was stolen by fear from the Skarmory's presence, but sadness now took over after one of them was once again taken from them. The young Eevee couldn't help herself but to cry on her father's shoulder.

Every time the moon was full, that very same Skarmory will come to our herd, and will announce a specie of our evolution. It will then look at us, and choose one of us to be taken. We can't escape the Skarmory's eyes, even if we try and hide under our dens and burrows. Once it chose someone, that chosen specie will have to go with it inside the dark forest near our herd. For what reason, we didn't know. The previous full moon, the Skarmory took my older sister, a Jolteon, and then, the next full moon, it chose an Espeon, and it chose my mother. It wasn't always the females the Skarmory choose. A previous full moon before my sister was taken, the Skarmory announced a Vaporeon, and it chose a male. My family and I were really glad that the Skarmory chose was not my father. This nightmare began a few months ago. We used to live a peaceful life, here in our little territory outside the forest, and beside the foot of a volcano, but after an earthquake struck the island, black smoke came out from the mouth of the volcano. The night after the earthquake, the moon was full, and that's when the Skarmory first appeared. It announced a specie I could no longer remember, and demanded to come with it. Of course, we fought back, but we were easily defeated by the Skarmory, and it dragged it's pick inside the forest. The next full moon, the Skarmory came again, and announced another. We fought but the same result came out. Since then, we never dared to fight the Skarmory, and we never entered the forest where it takes one of us, and we called it the Dark Forest. Before, us Eevees were always excited to evolve, but now, every Eevee no longer desire to evolve, and so do our parents. We tried several attempts to leave, and settle in other places of the island, but it made no difference, for when the moon is full, the Skarmory will show up and will take one of us. Instead to become foreigners in a new area, and after realizing that we couldn't escape the Skarmory, we went back to where we used to live. Another night came, where the moon was once again full. The Skarmory showed up, and chose my father. I was going to be alone, but then a stormy cloud covered the moon. The Skarmory looked up, and then back at us, and he stopped my father, who was already walking towards it. Without a word, the Skarmory walked back to the forest, leaving my father with us. We were all relieved, and so do I, but something made me want to go and follow that Skarmory, and so I entered the forest without anyone realizing, and lucky for me, the Skarmory's footprints were on the ground for me to follow. I reached the other end of the forest, where up ahead was a river of lava, and on the other side was a cave on the foot of the volcano. I saw the Skarmory who just entered the cave. I went and approached the river, and it was hot and boiling, but there were rocks on them for me to jump on, leading to the other side of the river. If I were an evolved POKéMON, I could just walk on those rocks, but since I was an Eevee back then, I had to jump on each of them. After I reached the other side, I slowly went inside the cave, and it wasn't even dark, for the walls were all covered with red, glowing lava, flowing like veins. The cave seemed like a small straight tunnel, and when I reached the other end, I saw the Skarmory, standing in the middle of the ground, which was forming a circlular shape, connecting to the cave where I was hiding. The area was steaming, for it was full of lava inside, but what caught my attention were the stinky smell the area has, and the bones scattered on the ground where the Skarmory was standing. My mother and sister were murdered here, I thought. It took me a few seconds before I realized that I was already crying. Suddenly, the lava was starting to rise in front of the Skarmory, who took a few steps back, and from the lava came out this huge and red POKéMON that I've never seen before, and it growled, making the whole place shake. I looked up, and I saw a small circular opening. I realized that it was the mouth of the volcano. The giant slowly puts its montrous head in front of the Skarmory, who was shaking in fear. It asked for its feast, but it took the Skarmory a few moments before it could say something, about the sky being invisible. That made the giant look up at the mouth of the volcano, and saw a cloudy sky, which suddenly turned white, and then back to black, and then it was followed by the sound of thunder. It took a few minutes before the giant closed it's red eyes as it began to sink in the lava where it was standing, and after he was completely gone, the Skarmory sighed in relief and slowly turned around and walked towards the cave. It's heading straight towards me, so I had to run back, but I think it saw me, for after I got out, I felt something that grabbed me from my back all the way to my belly, and lifted me up, and from there, I saw the Skarmory's face.

"You child, are courageous, yet stupid."

He said to me with a very scary tone on his voice, which made me cry out of fear, but to my surprise, he puts me down, and soon after he did, it started raining hard. I quickly ran back to the herd without looking back, and after I did, I saw my father staring at the forest, and was really happy to see me coming out from it, running towards him. That evening, inside our den, I told him everything I saw. He didn't said a word. Soon, dad was waking me up. It was early in the morning, where even the sun wasn't awake yet. He told me that the two of us will leave this place, no, we're leaving the island. Since he was a Vaporeon, he can swim away, and can easily carry me on his back, and so we did. Hours passed, and the sun was already high up in the clear sky, and I can really tell that my father's getting really exhausted. We saw something above the water. It was huge and looked like pieces of wood that was stuck together. There were humans on top of the thing, but they didn't seem to notice us, so my father grabbed on the wood with his claws. Eventually, we saw land up ahead, and we thought that this thing is heading there, so my father stayed on, and soon, we got close to the land, and he lets go and swam towards the land, while giving distance away from the humans. We found a small cave on the foot of a cliff, so we decided to stay there. It was a den, an abandoned one. It was small and rocky, but it was big enough for the both of us. We lied down to rest ourselves, and later on, I fell asleep. I woke up, and I found myself in the darkness. To my horror, I saw the Skarmory, standing on a rock in front of our new-found home, and my dad was on one of its talons, either dead or unconscious. I burst into tears as I yelled at the SKarmory. I wanted to save my father, but I couldn't. The ocean separated the cave where I was on, and the rock where the Skarmory was standing. The metal bird looked at me with it's red glowing eyes and told me that it was useless to escape, and afterwards, he flew off in the sky.

Xyla ended her story that after what happened, she had no choice but to live by herself and to survive. She added that she eventually evolved into a Vaporeon, which she was thankful for, 'cause she can then hunt easier and can go whereever she wanted. The four then went silent inside the den, where outside, a strong storm was raging. Before they started to listen to her story, a storm was forming in the sky, where they had no choice but to go back inside the den, and soon, rain started to shower on the land while they went to sleep. Hours passed, and the storm became strong, and a fierce thunder roared throughout the lands, startling both Joseph and Xyla up. They had a little chat, when they heard another roar of thunder, which woke Vixie up. The three ended up chatting until Ixan woke up from their voices. After a while, Joseph eventually asked Xyla about her past, which changed the two Vaporeon's mood to sadness. Xyla then shared her story to them after taking a deep breath. While she was sharing her story to everyone, Joseph attempted to interrupt, about the huge red POKéMON being probably a Groudon, and the one his father grabbed on was called a boat, but he couldn't get his chance. But now that she's finished sharing her story, he tells everyone about it. That gave her the thought that he must be very knowledgable, so she asked him some questions.

Xyla: "Why only during a full moon?"

Joseph: "Probably because of some belief they're believing. It may be possible that they thought that the full moon caused the earthquakes, and to prevent it from happening again, they did stupid things."

That gave silence some time to wander around until Xyla asked another.

Xyla: "Well, why sacrifice someone to that 'Groudon'...?"

Joseph thought about it for a moment. Groudon, so far, only exist in the Hoenn region, so he thought she's from that region.

Joseph: "Well, according to the gam---I mean, in mythology, Groudon is said to be the one who brought the lands above the water for us to live on. Probably, the POKéMON who knew this myth thought that the earthquake was caused by Groudon, giving them a thought that he must be angry, so, they decided to give it an offering, in hopes that he won't take back the land he gave us."

That made everyone silent for a moment, while Xyla felt a bit annoyed by the thought.

Xyla: "But why us? Why only us...?"

Unfortunately, Joseph couldn't answer that question, but he tried to think of reasons, but he found nothing but dust, so he just gave her a slow wave of his head from left to right. That made her angry and sad at the same time.

Joseph: "I'm sorry. I'm not really that knowledgable. I just happen to know a lot of things, but not everything..."

She asked with a very curious voice. Joseph was a bit annoyed that Vixie asked them first.

Ixan: "We greeted a number of Vaporeons swimming by the other day. We were a bit surprised that some of them recognized Xyla's scent, so we invited them over."

They said that two months after Xyla and her dad disappeared, the whole island experienced earthquakes, and the volcano erupted, and was split in half, and suddenly, a giant red POKéMON came out from it. That was probably the 'Groudon' you mentioned. Anyway, the whole island was engulfed in flames, and everyone had to find ways to escape the island. The Vaporeons were lucky, for they can swim, but those who can't, they needed to climb on the floating trees. Then, from the distance, a huge blue POKéMON came out from the seas and both giants immediately started battling. They had no time to watch, for the sea was getting wild.

Joseph: "That 'huge blue POKéMON' must have been a Kyogre..."

Joseph said after a few seconds of silence after Ixan finished the story.

Joseph: "Groudon and Kyogre, according to mythology, are always battling each other, reason, I have no idea... One of the mysteries of life, I suppose..."

Ixan: "How do you know these things, anyway?"

Ixan asked with a smile, trying to break the current topic's feel around. He was thinking of a good excuse, but decided to reply a smile instead.

Joseph: "Yet, another one of life's mysteries..."

After a few more chats, they decided to go back to sleep.
In the castle, Alice was asleep on her bed, with three Eevees around her. One of the Eevees went out of the bed and went outside her room through the door. It was Steven, and after he found the stairs, he quickly went down. It took him a while to reach the end of the stairs, and after he did, he quickly searched for a way to get out. He was about to run when he heard a female voice called his name from the stairs. He turned back and saw Krystal, who was sleepy while going down the stairs.

Krystal: "What are you doing? I saw you heading out, so I had to follow you."

She said after she reached him. Steven was hopping on the spot, with an awkward expression on his face.

Steven: "I need to pee..."

He whispered. They suddenly saw a brown Flareon approaching them, and asked them why they're still awake at that hour. Krystal informs their grandfather about Steven. Eric then asked them to follow him to where he cooks, for the guest's comfort rooms are next to each other.
Krystal and Steven were now walking up the stairs, and they find it a serious work-out. Now they knew how their dad felt. It was easier to climb down the stairs than working your way up, they said to each other. They suddenly heard footsteps coming from below the stairs, and soon, they saw that it was coming from a servant, who saw them and quickly took them and carried them up. After they reached the end of the stairs, she puts them down in front of Alice's room. Though she couldn't understand them, she seemed to understand that they thanked her before she walked off.
A loud thunder startled Joseph once again, waking him up. He saw the others who are still asleep, and outside, the storm was still strong. The ocean's waves were almost reaching the opening of the den. He stood up and stretched his entire body, and after he did, he heard footsteps on the watery shores. He decided to take a peak, and he saw a huge shadow of a four-legged POKéMON, and seemed to be walking towards the den. A lightning suddenly gave light to the area, giving him the chance to see who it was, and to his surprise, it was a Suicune. It has already reached the front of the den, when it suddenly stopped and took a look at the Flareon, who was also staring at him in awe.

Suicune: "Are you... Are you that Flareon Raikou told me about?"

The Suicune's soft tone made him feel even more in awe with the legendary POKéMON. He quickly shook his head to snap him back to his senses.

Joseph: "Uh, yes. I met Raikou days ago, during his hunt with Zapdos."

Suicune: "I see."

Joseph: "Oh, hey...!"

The Suicune was about to walk on when Joseph called him, making the legendary beast to stop and look at him once again.

Joseph: "Well, may I ask if you've heard about Groudon and Kyogre, I mean, about their battle?"

Suicune: "Oh? You really do know a lot."

That surprised the Suicune, hearing it from a mere Flareon. He nodded his head. Joseph was about to ask something connected to his previous question, but he just realized, the POKéMON he's talking to is soaking wet and is under the rain.

Joseph: "Oh yes, you can come inside to take shelter."

Suicune: "No need."

He replied with a smile.

Joseph: "Well, okay then. Anyway, before their battle happened, are you aware of the place where Groudon was resting?"

Suicune: "Yes."

Joseph: "Groudon was inside a volcano on an island, right?"

Suicune: "Yes."

Joseph: "Okay. Now to my real question: are you maybe, aware of the practices the POKéMON there were doing?"

The Suicune opened it's mouth to answer, but he closed it soon after and paused for a moment.

Suicune: "There are a number of pratices on that small island. Which one are you referring to?"

Joseph: "The...one involving Groudon..."

Suicune: "Oh, that..."

He closed his eyes for a moment, and he opened them soon after.

Suicune: "And your question to that practice may be...?"

Joseph: "Well, I just wish to know two things; first, why did they started it."

Suicune: "Because of belief and because of fear."

That strengthened Joseph's answer to Xyla's question earlier.

Joseph: "Thanks."

The Suicune just gave him a simple bow.

Suicune: "And to your second question?"

Joseph: "Well, why only send...'my' kind, as a sacrifice?"

Suicune: "False. Your kind was not the only ones who were sent to be sacrificed. But before I continue, may I say that all those sacrifices being made were, pointless. On the full moon, one of you are taken. On the new moon, another specie. Despite that, all those were but a pointless practice caused by fear."

They suddenly heard someone crying and sniffing inside the den. Joseph looked back and saw Xyla crying. He thought that she must have heard their conversation.

Suicune: "I apologize."

He looked back at the Suicune.

Joseph: "No, don't be. Sometimes, the truth may hurt, but that's what we need to heal our wounds."

That gave the Suicune a smile.

Suicune: "Fine choice of words. I do hope you won't mind if I'll use it some time."

He bowed, and Joseph bowed to him as well, and after, the Suicune walked off. Joseph then quickly went to Xyla and pats her back with his paw.

Joseph: "Hey, it's okay..."

Xyla quickly turned to him and quickly hugged him as she continued to cry, giving him a surprised expression. He rubs his paw on her back to try and help her feel better. 'I didn't know Eeveelutions could also need a hug', he thought to himself. Soon, she broke the hug after feeling a bit better, and thanked him. He just gave her a smile. Soon, both went back to sleep.
The storm has finally weakened. In Alice's bed, Mark suddenly woke up, and started scratching his ear. He then lied down on the bed to go back to sleep, but as he stared through the door to the balcony, he suddenly had the urge to go there. He rose up and jumped off the bed, and slowly went to the door. He pushed it a bit so he can make a small opening for him to get outside, and after he was outside, he sat down near the metal grill and stared at the black forest where his parents went. To his surprise, he saw a blue four-legged creature who just came out from the forest, and continued to walk on the shore. He was still half-asleep, so he rubbed his eyes with his paw, and took another look, but the creature was gone. He convinced himself that he's starting to see things, so he went back inside to sleep.

The PokéCommunity

Meta

Pokémon characters and images belong to The Pokémon Company International and Nintendo. This website is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK, or The Pokémon Company International. We just love Pokémon.